Photo: David Hawgood · CC BY-SA 2.0One of the secondary schools around Prospect and Newtown Pery charges fees: Villiers Secondary School
7 of its 13 secondary schools take only boys or only girls. 48% of the schools around Prospect and Newtown Pery are DEIS schools, close to Co. Limerick’s towns (46%) and above Irish towns (35%). Ireland publishes no school results, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them, so these schools are described here, never graded or ranked.
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 Prospect and Newtown Pery’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: Colaiste Mhichil (0.7 km), Coláiste Nano Nagle (0.8 km) and St Clements College (1 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery
Here are the schools in Prospect and Newtown Pery 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 27 primary schools
Where the 46 schools in and around Prospect and Newtown Pery 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery’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 Prospect and Newtown Pery
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
5 of Prospect and Newtown Pery’s 46 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Sheoirse, An Mhodh Scoil and Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ.
Who Prospect and Newtown Pery’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 Prospect and Newtown Pery | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 40% | 25% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 13% | 7% | 6% |
| Girls | 48% | 48% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 50% | 23% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 7% | 4% | 6% |
40% of the pupils around Prospect and Newtown Pery 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 50% 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
37 of Prospect and Newtown Pery’s 46 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (28), CEIST (2) and Edmund Rice Schools Trust (2). 22 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery’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 Prospect and Newtown Pery; the largest, Bishop of Limerick, has 28 of them and 49% of the pupils. 2 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs 2.
| 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 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 | 7,528 |
| 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 |
| Educate TogetherLimerick City East, Limerick School Project | Multi-denominational | 2 | 1,014 |
| CEISTArdscoil Mhuire, Coláiste Nano Nagle | Catholic | 2 | 956 |
| 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery
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
12 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 19 have shrunk by as much, out of 40; across Ireland: +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 Prospect and Newtown Pery’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 46 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
15 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Prospect and Newtown Pery: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 0.7 km |
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 0.8 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 1 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 1 km |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 1.1 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 1.6 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 1.8 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 2 km |
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 2.2 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 2.5 km |
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 3.2 km |
| St Munchin's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 682 | 3.3 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 3.3 km |
| Mungret Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 991 | 4.9 km |
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 5.7 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Prospect and Newtown Pery
6 special schools serve the area: St Augustines Spec Sch, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Canices Special School, Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, St Gabriels School and The Childrens Ark, 461 pupils between them. 18 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.
Prospect and Newtown Pery beside the 95 other Irish towns of 2,900 to 5,600 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knocknaheeny | 5,592 | 59 | 18,265 | 5 | 59% | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||||
| Castlegar | 4,315 | 32 | 9,971 | 4 | 34% | 1.3 km |
| St Luke's | 4,278 | 70 | 20,531 | 6 | 51% | 0.1 km |
| Lehenagh | 4,154 | 43 | 14,801 | 4 | 33% | 2.3 km |
| Mervue | 4,126 | 30 | 9,041 | 4 | 37% | 0.9 km |
| Prospect and Newtown Pery | 4,122 | 46 | 15,489 | 5 | 48% | 0.7 km |
| Montenotte | 4,113 | 70 | 20,121 | 8 | 49% | 0.5 km |
| Rathbane | 4,111 | 52 | 19,628 | 7 | 33% | 1.5 km |
| Grange | 4,109 | 32 | 12,776 | 3 | 41% | 1.3 km |
| Macroom | 4,096 | 6 | 1,897 | 0 | 17% | 0.1 km |
| … | ||||||
| Skibbereen | 2,903 | 5 | 1,562 | 1 | 0% | 0.8 km |
Of the other 95 towns, 26 have more pupils at the schools around them than Prospect and Newtown Pery. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 62 of the 96.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Prospect and Newtown Pery
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 Prospect and Newtown Pery had 14,367 pupils in 2015/16 and 15,489 in 2025/26. Limerick City East Secondary School grew most: +587% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Prospect and Newtown Pery
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 Prospect and Newtown Pery
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect and Newtown Pery | 46 | 15,489 | 5 | 48% | 0.7 km |
| Galvone 0.8 km | 48 | 16,815 | 5 | 46% | 0.6 km |
| Dock 0.8 km | 45 | 15,206 | 5 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Limerick City Centre 1 km | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Rathbane 1 km | 52 | 19,628 | 7 | 33% | 1.5 km |
| Ballinacurra 1.4 km | 48 | 15,810 | 6 | 46% | 0.8 km |
| Garryowen 1.7 km | 41 | 14,084 | 6 | 44% | 1 km |
Rathbane has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Prospect and Newtown Pery changed by +3%; among its neighbours, Rathbane’s grew most (+7%) and Limerick City Centre’s least (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Prospect and Newtown Pery 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 Prospect and Newtown Pery
How many schools are there in Prospect and Newtown Pery?
In Prospect and Newtown Pery or within 3 km of it: 27 primary schools, 13 secondary schools and 6 special schools, with 15,489 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Prospect and Newtown Pery that teach through Irish?
Yes, 5: Gaelscoil Sheoirse, An Mhodh Scoil and Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Prospect and Newtown Pery?
1 of the 13: Villiers Secondary School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Prospect and Newtown Pery?
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 Prospect and Newtown Pery?
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).