Photo: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0One of the secondary schools around Caherdavin charges fees: Villiers Secondary School
7 of its 13 secondary schools take only boys or only girls. In or within 3 km of Caherdavin: 27 primary schools, 13 secondary schools and 6 special schools, 16,583 pupils in all. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
Every school in the town or within 3 km of its outline, from the Department of Education’s lists for 2025/26; Ireland’s figures are every school in the lists.
What stands out about Caherdavin’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 ↓
Mostly single-sex at secondary
Most secondary schools here take only boys or only girls; the mixed ones are marked on the cards below. Single-sex: Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ (746), Ardscoil Ris (728), St Munchin's College (682) and Ardscoil Mhuire (591), and 3 more. Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
15 post-primary schools lie within 10 km, so families here have a real choice at twelve; each admits on its own policy. The nearest: Thomond Community College (1 km), Villiers Secondary School (1.5 km) and Ardscoil Ris (1.8 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 46 schools in and around Caherdavin
Here are the schools in Caherdavin or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Show all 27 primary schools
Where the 46 schools in and around Caherdavin 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 Caherdavin’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 Caherdavin
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
5 of Caherdavin’s 46 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Sairseal, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ and An Mhodh Scoil.
Who Caherdavin’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against 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 Caherdavin | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 31% | 25% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 14% | 7% | 6% |
| Girls | 48% | 48% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 49% | 23% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 7% | 4% | 6% |
31% of the pupils around Caherdavin are at a DEIS school, more than the 27% across Ireland (25% in Co. Limerick). Where this area differs most from Ireland is post-primary pupils at single-sex schools, at 49% against 29%. Thomond Community College, with 597 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 46 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 Caherdavin’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
35 of Caherdavin’s 46 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (27), Limerick & Clare ETB (4) and Edmund Rice Schools Trust (2). 18 of the 46 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 Caherdavin’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
13 patrons run the 46 schools around Caherdavin; the largest, Bishop of Limerick, has 27 of them and 48% of the pupils. 4 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of LimerickSt Munchin's College, Scoil Neassain, Scoil Ide, Scoil Phoil Naofa, Corpus Christi, Gaelscoil an Raithin, Gaelscoil Sairseal, Scoil Mathair de, Salesian Primary School, Our Lady Queen of Peace School, S.N. an Phairtin Mixed, S N Naomh Iosef, Presentation Primary School, Scoil Chriost Ri B, Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, S N Muire na hEireann, St Johns Convent, Scoil Iosagain, J F K Memorial School, Thomond Primary School, Our Lady of Lourdes, St Mary's, St Michaels, S.N. Mhuire Miliuc, St John the Baptist Boys, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Augustines Spec Sch | Catholic | 27 | 8,029 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Health Service ExecutiveThe Childrens Ark | Multi-denominational | 1 | 44 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Caherdavin
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
Of these 40 schools, 13 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 18 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
All 40 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 Caherdavin’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
Reports come from whole-school evaluations (teaching, learning, leadership and management), subject inspections and follow-through visits that check earlier advice; gov.ie publishes each one with the school’s response.
Reports say what inspectors found and what should improve, without an overall grade, so none appears here; each of the 46 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 Caherdavin
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Within 10 km of Caherdavin there are 15 post-primary schools: 10 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools and one comprehensive school. 7 of them are single-sex, 3 for girls and 4 for boys. One of them charges fees. Every subject is taught through Irish at 2 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 1 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 1.5 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 1.8 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 2.7 km |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 2.7 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 2.7 km |
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 3.2 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 3.3 km |
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 3.3 km |
| St Munchin's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 682 | 3.3 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 3.6 km |
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 4.5 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mungret Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 991 | 5.3 km |
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 6.3 km |
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 8.3 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Caherdavin
6 special schools serve the area: Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Augustines Spec Sch, St Gabriels School, Limerick Community Special School and The Childrens Ark, 501 pupils between them. 15 of the 27 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.
Caherdavin beside the 99 other Irish towns of 5,200 to 9,900 people
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km, listed by population: Ireland publishes no results, so none is ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nenagh | 9,895 | 11 | 3,044 | 1 | 0% | 0.1 km |
| … | ||||||
| Perrystown | 7,581 | 94 | 30,259 | 5 | 37% | 0.8 km |
| Kinsealy-Drinan | 7,526 | 22 | 11,271 | 1 | 5% | 0.7 km |
| Walkinstown | 7,442 | 91 | 27,293 | 3 | 51% | 0.2 km |
| Clongriffin | 7,438 | 53 | 15,799 | 4 | 36% | 0.3 km |
| Caherdavin | 7,364 | 46 | 16,583 | 5 | 39% | 1 km |
| Temple Bar | 7,276 | 116 | 27,705 | 10 | 51% | 0.5 km |
| Newcastle West | 7,209 | 8 | 2,648 | 1 | 38% | 0.6 km |
| Turner's Cross | 7,208 | 77 | 24,127 | 7 | 44% | 0.3 km |
| South Gate | 7,185 | 75 | 23,775 | 7 | 47% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Ballybeg | 5,226 | 32 | 12,349 | 1 | 41% | 1.1 km |
Of the other 99 towns, 40 have more pupils at the schools around them than Caherdavin. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 90 of the 100.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Caherdavin
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Caherdavin had 14,968 pupils in 2015/16 and 16,583 in 2025/26. Mungret Community College grew most: +175% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Caherdavin
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 Caherdavin
For each nearby town, its schools in or within 3 km of its outline, with straight-line distances.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caherdavin | 46 | 16,583 | 5 | 39% | 1 km |
| Ballynanty 1.3 km | 39 | 12,623 | 4 | 51% | 0.3 km |
| Farranshone 1.5 km | 49 | 16,369 | 6 | 47% | 0.4 km |
| Dock 2.7 km | 45 | 15,206 | 5 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Limerick City Centre 2.8 km | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Ballinacurra 3.2 km | 48 | 15,810 | 6 | 46% | 0.8 km |
| Corbally and King's Island 3.2 km | 45 | 15,801 | 6 | 49% | 0.2 km |
Farranshone has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 6. Pupils around Caherdavin: +4% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Ballinacurra led (+4%) and Ballynanty trailed (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Caherdavin 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 Caherdavin
How many schools are there in Caherdavin?
In Caherdavin or within 3 km of it: 27 primary schools, 13 secondary schools and 6 special schools, with 16,583 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Caherdavin that teach through Irish?
Yes, 5: Gaelscoil Sairseal, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ and An Mhodh Scoil teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Caherdavin?
1 of the 13: Villiers Secondary School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Caherdavin?
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 Caherdavin?
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).