Photo: Nigel Thompson · CC BY-SA 2.0One of the secondary schools around Limerick City Centre charges fees: Villiers Secondary School
Girls and boys are taught apart at 58% of the post-primaries around Limerick City Centre, above both Co. Limerick’s towns (54%) and Irish towns (39%). 22 of its 43 schools are in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas, against 30% across Ireland. 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 Limerick City Centre’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 ↓
Extra support for many schools
Many schools here are in DEIS, which gives schools in disadvantaged areas more teachers, money and help; across Ireland, 30% of schools are. In DEIS: Thomond Community College (597), Ardscoil Mhuire (591), St Brigids N.S. (457) and St Clements College (411), and 18 more. Who runs them ↓
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
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: Coláiste Nano Nagle (0.4 km), Colaiste Mhichil (0.5 km) and St Clements College (1 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Facts from the Department of Education’s lists; nothing here judges how well a school teaches.
The 43 schools in and around Limerick City Centre
Here are the schools in Limerick City Centre or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Show all 26 primary schools
Who runs Limerick City Centre’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
36 of Limerick City Centre’s 43 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (27), CEIST (2) and Edmund Rice Schools Trust (2). 22 of the 43 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.
Where the 43 schools in and around Limerick City Centre 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 Limerick City Centre’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 Limerick City Centre
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
5 of Limerick City Centre’s 43 schools teach every subject through Irish: An Mhodh Scoil, Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh and Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ.
Who Limerick City Centre’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, 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 Limerick City Centre | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 42% | 25% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 13% | 7% | 6% |
| Girls | 48% | 48% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 56% | 23% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 7% | 4% | 6% |
Around Limerick City Centre, 42% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 25% in Co. Limerick. Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at single-sex schools stand out most: 56% against 29%. The largest DEIS school here is Thomond Community College, with 597 pupils.
Each of the 43 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Augustines Spec SchSpecial | 24 | 17% | ||
| Coláiste Nano NaglePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 365 | – | ✓ | |
| Presentation Primary SchoolPrimary | 279 | 82% | ✓ | |
| Scoil IosagainPrimary | 222 | 0% | ✓ | |
| St Michaels N.S.Primary | 126 | 38% | ✓ | |
| St MichaelsPrimary | 116 | 47% | ||
| Colaiste MhichilPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 349 | 0% | ✓ | |
| St Mary's National SchoolPrimary | 152 | 47% | ✓ | |
| St Johns ConventPrimary | 223 | 75% | ✓ | |
| Limerick School ProjectPrimary | 203 | 52% | ||
| St John the Baptist Boys N.S.Primary | 69 | 0% | ✓ | |
| Salesian Primary SchoolPrimary | 361 | 72% | ||
| Ardscoil MhuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 591 | 100% | ✓ | |
| Ardscoil RisPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 728 | 0% | ||
| An Mhodh ScoilPrimary | 578 | 52% | ✓ | |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighPost-primary · ETB | 606 | 61% | ✓ | |
| St Clements CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 411 | 0% | ✓ | |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 315 | 100% | ✓ | |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 746 | 100% | ||
| Scoil Padraig Naofa CPrimary | 197 | 100% | ✓ | |
| J F K Memorial SchoolPrimary | 218 | 0% | ||
| Scoil Padraig Naofa BPrimary | 197 | 0% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil SairsealPrimary | 369 | 55% | ✓ | |
| Scoil Mathair dePrimary | 362 | 48% | ||
| St Canices Special SchoolSpecial | 7 | 29% | ||
| Our Lady Queen of Peace SchoolPrimary | 326 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil SheoirsePrimary | 82 | 49% | ✓ | ✓ |
| Le Chéile National SchoolPrimary | 174 | 34% | ✓ | |
| Mid West School for the DeafSpecial | 44 | 48% | ||
| Catherine Mc Auley Sp SSpecial | 278 | 37% | ||
| Our Lady of Lourdes N.S.Primary | 161 | 48% | ✓ | |
| Scoil IdePrimary | 654 | 48% | ||
| Villiers Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 508 | 56% | ||
| Thomond Primary SchoolPrimary | 215 | 49% | ✓ | |
| St Brigids N.S.Primary | 457 | 49% | ✓ | |
| St Munchin's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 682 | 0% | ||
| Thomond Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 597 | 52% | ✓ | |
| Corpus Christi N.S.Primary | 403 | 50% | ✓ | |
| Scoil Chriost Ri BPrimary | 278 | 0% | ✓ | |
| S N Muire na hEireannPrimary | 262 | 100% | ✓ | |
| Crescent College ComprehensivePost-primary · Comprehensive | 922 | 48% | ||
| St Gabriels SchoolSpecial | 64 | 42% | ||
| Scoil Phoil NaofaPrimary | 573 | 49% |
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.
The 13 patrons of Limerick City Centre’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Of the 43 schools around Limerick City Centre, 27 have Bishop of Limerick as patron, teaching 51% of the pupils; 13 patrons in all. The local Education and Training Board runs 2. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of LimerickSt Munchin's College, Scoil Ide, Scoil Phoil Naofa, St Brigids, Corpus Christi, 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 C, Scoil Padraig Naofa B, Le Chéile, Our Lady of Lourdes, St Mary's, St Michaels, Gaelscoil Sheoirse, St John the Baptist Boys, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Augustines Spec Sch | Catholic | 27 | 7,388 |
| Limerick & Clare ETBGaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Thomond | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 2 | 1,203 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Educate TogetherLimerick School Project | Multi-denominational | 1 | 203 |
| 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 ExecutiveSt Canices Special School | Catholic | 1 | 7 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Limerick City Centre
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
Since 2019/20, 11 of these 38 schools have grown by 5% or more and 18 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 38 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 Limerick City Centre’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
Each school is visited by inspectors from time to time, for a whole-school evaluation of teaching, learning and leadership, for one subject, or to follow up earlier advice, and every report is posted on gov.ie with the school’s response.
The reports describe what inspectors saw and what each school should do next. They give no overall grade, so none is shown here; the 43 schools below each link their own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Limerick City Centre
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
Within 10 km of Limerick City Centre there are 15 post-primary schools: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 0.4 km |
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 0.5 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 1 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 1 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 1.1 km |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 1.1 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 1.2 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 1.2 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 2.1 km |
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 2.4 km |
| St Munchin's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 682 | 2.4 km |
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 3 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 3.6 km |
| Mungret Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 991 | 5.3 km |
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 5.8 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Limerick City Centre
5 special schools serve the area: St Augustines Spec Sch, St Canices Special School, Mid West School for the Deaf, Catherine Mc Auley Sp S and St Gabriels School, 417 pupils between them. 17 of the 26 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.
Limerick City Centre beside the 86 other Irish towns of 2,400 to 4,600 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saggart | 4,573 | 23 | 9,161 | 3 | 61% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Shandon | 3,539 | 63 | 19,030 | 5 | 52% | 0.4 km |
| Rahoon | 3,486 | 29 | 10,562 | 5 | 21% | 1.6 km |
| Rathnew | 3,482 | 11 | 4,543 | 1 | 36% | 1 km |
| Cleaboy | 3,454 | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.7 km |
| Limerick City Centre | 3,434 | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Clara | 3,403 | 3 | 699 | 0 | 100% | 0.3 km |
| Annacotty | 3,398 | 8 | 4,443 | 1 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Tower | 3,300 | 6 | 2,638 | 1 | 17% | 3.2 km |
| Rathangan | 3,263 | 3 | 1,345 | 0 | 33% | 0.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Prosperous | 2,413 | 2 | 1,169 | 0 | 50% | 0.5 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 20 of the other 86 towns than around Limerick City Centre. 52 of the 87 towns have an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Limerick City Centre
Each September’s pupils at every school in or within 3 km of the town, counted where the school stands today.
The schools in and around Limerick City Centre had 14,132 pupils in 2015/16 and 14,494 in 2025/26. St John the Baptist Boys N.S. grew most: +116% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Limerick City Centre
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 Limerick City Centre
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limerick City Centre | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Dock 0.7 km | 45 | 15,206 | 5 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Prospect and Newtown Pery 1 km | 46 | 15,489 | 5 | 48% | 0.7 km |
| Galvone 1.1 km | 48 | 16,815 | 5 | 46% | 0.6 km |
| Farranshone 1.3 km | 49 | 16,369 | 6 | 47% | 0.4 km |
| Corbally and King's Island 1.3 km | 45 | 15,801 | 6 | 49% | 0.2 km |
| Garryowen 1.8 km | 41 | 14,084 | 6 | 44% | 1 km |
Farranshone has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 6. Pupils around Limerick City Centre: −1% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Prospect and Newtown Pery led (+3%) and Dock trailed (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Limerick City Centre 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 Limerick City Centre
How many schools are there in Limerick City Centre?
In Limerick City Centre or within 3 km of it: 26 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 5 special schools, with 14,494 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Limerick City Centre that teach through Irish?
Yes, 5: An Mhodh Scoil, Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh and Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Limerick City Centre?
1 of the 12: Villiers Secondary School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Limerick City Centre?
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 Limerick City Centre?
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).