Photo: David Hawgood · CC BY-SA 2.0One of the secondary schools around Ballinacurra charges fees: Villiers Secondary School
15,810 pupils go to the 29 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 7 special schools in or within 3 km of Ballinacurra. All-Irish schools make up 13% of those around Ballinacurra, above both Co. Limerick’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (8%). Ireland publishes no school results, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them, so these schools are described here, never graded or ranked.
Schools in the town or within 3 km of its outline, Department of Education lists for 2025/26; the Ireland figures cover all schools listed.
What stands out about Ballinacurra’s schools
One fee-paying secondary school
One secondary school within reach charges fees; the others are free. The fee-paying one: Villiers Secondary School (508). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 15 post-primary schools within 10 km of the town, of more than one kind; each admits on its own published policy, so applying to more than one is common. The nearest: Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ (0.8 km), Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ (0.8 km) and St Clements College (0.9 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 48 schools in and around Ballinacurra
Here are the schools in Ballinacurra or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Show all 29 primary schools
Where the 48 schools in and around Ballinacurra are
Each school where the official list places it, shaded by who runs it and sized by pupils; squares are secondary schools, triangles special schools. The dashed shape is Ballinacurra’s outline; schools within 3 km of it count.
Places from the Department of Education’s school lists (its own coordinates for all but a handful); map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Teaching through Irish in and around Ballinacurra
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
6 of Ballinacurra’s 48 schools teach every subject through Irish: Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, An Mhodh Scoil and Gaelscoil Sheoirse.
Who Ballinacurra’s schools serve
The pupils at the area’s schools by share, beside Co. Limerick’s and Ireland’s, 2025/26
Each bar is the area’s share; the tick marks Ireland’s.
DEIS by stage: pupils at DEIS schools
| Share of pupils | Around Ballinacurra | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 39% | 25% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 15% | 7% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 48% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 44% | 23% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 7% | 4% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 39% of the pupils around Ballinacurra, a larger share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Limerick: 25%). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 44% here against 29%. The biggest school in DEIS is Thomond Community College (597 pupils).
Each of the 48 schools
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary): enrolments by sex and the DEIS list. Shares are of pupils, not of schools; a county’s are the schools listed with its towns.
Who runs Ballinacurra’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
37 of Ballinacurra’s 48 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (28), Limerick & Clare ETB (4) and Le Chéile Schools Trust (2). 22 of the 48 are in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas (30% across Ireland).
Department of Education school lists: ethos 2025/26, patron 2024/25 (the 2025/26 lists don’t give it). DEIS list 2025/26.
The 13 patrons of Ballinacurra’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
The schools around Ballinacurra answer to 13 patrons, and Bishop of Limerick leads with 28 of the 48 schools and 46% of their pupils. Education and Training Boards run 4 of them. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of LimerickScoil Neassain, Scoil Phoil Naofa, St Brigids, Corpus Christi, Gaelscoil an Raithin, Gaelscoil Sairseal, Scoil Mathair de, Salesian Primary School, Our Lady Queen of Peace School, Presentation Primary School, Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, Scoil Chriost Ri B, S N Muire na hEireann, St Johns Convent, Scoil Iosagain, J F K Memorial School, Thomond Primary School, Scoil Padraig Naofa B, Scoil Padraig Naofa C, Le Chéile, Our Lady of Lourdes, St Mary's, Donoughmore, St Michaels, Gaelscoil Sheoirse, St John the Baptist Boys, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Augustines Spec Sch | Catholic | 28 | 7,249 |
| Limerick & Clare ETBMungret, Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Thomond, Limerick Community Special School | Multi-denominational, Inter-denominational | 4 | 2,241 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustArdscoil Ris, Colaiste Mhichil | Catholic | 2 | 1,077 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustLaurel Hill Secondary School FCJ, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ | Catholic | 2 | 1,061 |
| CEISTArdscoil Mhuire, Coláiste Nano Nagle | Catholic | 2 | 956 |
| Educate TogetherLimerick City East Educate Together NS, Limerick School Project | Multi-denominational | 2 | 576 |
| Health Service ExecutiveThe Childrens Ark, St Canices Special School | Multi-denominational, Catholic | 2 | 51 |
| Minister for EducationCrescent College Comprehensive | Inter-denominational | 1 | 922 |
| Minister for Education & SkillsAn Mhodh Scoil | Catholic | 1 | 578 |
| Board of Governors of Villiers Secondary SchoolVilliers | Church of Ireland | 1 | 508 |
| Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist Fathers)St Clements College | Catholic | 1 | 411 |
| Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert COISt Michaels | Church of Ireland | 1 | 116 |
| St Gabriel's School and CentreSt Gabriels School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 64 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Ballinacurra
Starting primary school
Children can start primary school once they are four, and must be in school by six. Families apply to each school directly. Every school publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice; a school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its policy. Since the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, a Catholic or other majority-faith primary school can’t put baptised children first; a school of a minority faith still can, to keep its ethos.
Moving to secondary school
Children move to post-primary school at about twelve, after sixth class. Again, families apply to each school, usually a year or more ahead, and an oversubscribed school admits on its published criteria, often brothers and sisters and its feeder primary schools. The fee-paying school here sets its own fees and admissions.
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; each school’s admission policy and notice are on its own website.
Which schools are growing
13 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 19 have shrunk by as much, out of 41; across Ireland: +5%.
All 41 schools
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September, 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary). No capacity is published, so how full a school is can’t be shown.
Inspection reports for Ballinacurra’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
The Inspectorate inspects schools in several ways: a whole-school evaluation covers teaching, learning and how the school is led; a subject inspection looks at one subject; a follow-through checks on earlier advice. Reports go on gov.ie with the school’s reply.
Reports say what inspectors found and what should improve, without an overall grade, so none appears here; each of the 48 schools below links its own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ballinacurra
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
Families in Ballinacurra have 15 post-primary schools within 10 km: 10 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools and one comprehensive school. 7 teach girls and boys apart: 3 girls’ and 4 boys’ schools. One of them charges fees. Every subject is taught through Irish at 2 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 0.8 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 0.8 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 0.9 km |
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 1.3 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 1.8 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 1.9 km |
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 1.9 km |
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 1.9 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 2.9 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 3.1 km |
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 3.3 km |
| Mungret Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 991 | 3.6 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Munchin's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 682 | 4.2 km |
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 4.5 km |
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 7.1 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ballinacurra
7 special schools serve the area: Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Gabriels School, The Childrens Ark, St Canices Special School, St Augustines Spec Sch and Limerick Community Special School, 508 pupils between them. 19 of the 29 primary schools have special classes for children who need more support. Their cards ↑
Special schools and primary schools with special classes as the Department lists them; the National Council for Special Education places pupils in special classes.
Ballinacurra beside the 93 other Irish towns of 2,600 to 5,000 people
Schools in or within 3 km of each town, by population; none is ranked, as Ireland publishes no results
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glounthaune | 5,000 | 32 | 10,210 | 4 | 19% | 3.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Kilcullen | 3,815 | 3 | 1,524 | 0 | 0% | 0.2 km |
| Shanakiel | 3,804 | 52 | 16,547 | 5 | 54% | 0.6 km |
| Mitchelstown | 3,744 | 5 | 1,646 | 0 | 40% | 0.4 km |
| Stamullen | 3,720 | 3 | 1,043 | 0 | 0% | 2.1 km |
| Ballinacurra | 3,719 | 48 | 15,810 | 6 | 46% | 0.8 km |
| Cork City Centre | 3,701 | 77 | 23,441 | 7 | 48% | 0.5 km |
| Cahir | 3,679 | 2 | 1,300 | 0 | 50% | 0.6 km |
| Riverstown | 3,664 | 12 | 4,146 | 3 | 8% | 0.8 km |
| Enfield | 3,663 | 4 | 1,342 | 0 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Baltinglass | 2,611 | 3 | 912 | 0 | 0% | 0.2 km |
Among the 93 other towns, 20 have more pupils at their schools than Ballinacurra does. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 60 of the 94.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ballinacurra
Pupils every September at the schools in or within 3 km of the town, each counted at today’s site.
The schools in and around Ballinacurra had 14,207 pupils in 2015/16 and 15,810 in 2025/26. Mungret Community College grew most: +175% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ballinacurra
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year, 2015/16 to 2025/26 (preliminary), for every school placed in the area today; schools that have since closed or merged count where they stood.
Schools in the towns around Ballinacurra
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballinacurra | 48 | 15,810 | 6 | 46% | 0.8 km |
| Dock 1.2 km | 45 | 15,206 | 5 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Prospect and Newtown Pery 1.4 km | 46 | 15,489 | 5 | 48% | 0.7 km |
| Limerick City Centre 1.8 km | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Rathbane 2 km | 52 | 19,628 | 7 | 33% | 1.5 km |
| Dooradoyle 2.1 km | 42 | 13,180 | 5 | 36% | 1 km |
| Farranshone 2.2 km | 49 | 16,369 | 6 | 47% | 0.4 km |
Rathbane has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. Pupils around Ballinacurra: +4% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Rathbane led (+7%) and Limerick City Centre trailed (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ballinacurra or within 3 km of its outline, as the Department places it: families here use them. Schools further out are on the map of each school’s own page.
- The kinds of school. Primary schools take children from junior infants to sixth class, about ages 4 to 12. Post-primary schools teach the Junior and Leaving Certificate, about ages 12 to 18: voluntary secondary schools (mostly with a religious patron), ETB schools and community colleges run by an Education and Training Board, and community and comprehensive schools. Special schools teach children with particular needs.
- Teaching through Irish. All-Irish: every subject taught through Irish, in the Gaeltacht or, outside it, a Gaelscoil or Gaelcholáiste. Partly in Irish: an Irish stream (some classes entirely through Irish) or some subjects through Irish. Every other school teaches Irish as a subject.
- DEIS. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) gives schools serving disadvantaged areas more teachers, money and support; the Department decides which schools are in it.
- Ethos and patron. Most Irish schools are owned by a patron, mostly a church; the patron sets the school’s ethos. Multi-denominational schools (Educate Together, many ETB schools) teach children of every faith and none together.
- No grade. Section 53 of the Education Act 1998 lets the Minister refuse to release information that would allow schools’ exam results to be compared, and no results are published school by school. So Ireland’s schools have no letters and its towns no School Grade; nothing on this page ranks them.
- What isn’t here. What the UK and French pages show from results, these can’t: results charts, results against pupils’ backgrounds and towns ranked by their schools (no published results), and how full each school is (no capacity is published). Every post-primary school teaches to the Leaving Certificate, so there is no sixth-form split to show.
- Inspections. The Inspectorate’s reports are linked from each school’s page. They give no overall grade, so none is shown.
- The year. The 2025/26 lists are the Department’s preliminary release; numbers can change a little in the final lists.
Questions about schools in Ballinacurra
How many schools are there in Ballinacurra?
In Ballinacurra or within 3 km of it: 29 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 7 special schools, with 15,810 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ballinacurra that teach through Irish?
Yes, 6: Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, An Mhodh Scoil and Gaelscoil Sheoirse teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ballinacurra?
1 of the 12: Villiers Secondary School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Ballinacurra?
We don’t say. Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them; a ranking would rest on guesses. Each school’s page has its own facts and a link to its inspection reports, and visiting the schools you are weighing is still the best guide.
How do I get a place at a school in Ballinacurra?
Apply to each school directly: every school publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates. If it has more applicants than places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · one school placed with OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).