St Matthews Mixed N.S.
Drinan, Ballymahon, Co. Longford · N39 KA06 · Roll number 20128O
St Matthews Mixed N.S. is one of 3 primary schools in or within 3 km of Ballymahon. Every school in and around Ballymahon →
What stands out about St Matthews Mixed N.S.
- One of the larger primary schools: 373 pupils, against a typical 131.
- About as many pupils as in 2019/20 (+5%).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- In 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.
- Has special classes for children who need more support.
- The largest of the 3 primary schools around Ballymahon.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnoise; its ethos is Catholic.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26St Matthews Mixed N.S. had 373 pupils in 2025/26, against 276 in 2015/16 (+35%). Girls are 47% of them. Its roll rose in 7 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for St Matthews Mixed N.S.
Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing schools by them, so this school has no letter and nothing here ranks it. Its facts are the Department of Education’s; its inspection reports are linked below.
What the Department of Education does publish for St Matthews Mixed N.S. is on this page: its pupils each September since 2015/16, girls and boys, its patron and ethos, whether it teaches through Irish, whether it is in DEIS, and its inspection reports.
Newspapers print lists of how many of a school’s leavers go on to college. Those count destinations, not exam results, and depend on who a school takes in; we don’t use them.
Inspection reports on St Matthews Mixed N.S.
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate visits schools and publishes its reports. The reports describe what inspectors saw; they give no overall grade, and we don’t make one. Reports for this school on gov.ie ↗
Inspectors visit every kind of school. Whole-school evaluations look at teaching and learning, leadership and management; subject inspections look at one subject; follow-through inspections check whether earlier advice was taken. Each report is published on gov.ie with the school’s response.
Getting a place at St Matthews Mixed N.S.
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to St Matthews Mixed N.S. directly. Children can start once they are four and must be in school by six; the school’s yearly admission notice gives the dates for applying and for its decisions.
A school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its admission policy, often brothers and sisters, the area it serves and, for post-primary schools, its feeder primaries. A family refused a place can appeal.
It is in DEIS, so it has extra support for pupils from disadvantaged areas. Places in special classes and special schools are allocated with the National Council for Special Education.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: St Matthews Mixed N.S. has grown by 5% since 2019/20. All the schools around Ballymahon together changed by +6%.
Pupils since 2019/20
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; Department of Education enrolments 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary).
Side by side with the nearest primary schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
St Matthews Mixed N.S. has more pupils than any of the 6 nearest primary schools. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +5%; 1 of the 5 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Matthews Mixed N.S. | 373 | +5% | Catholic | English | ✓ | |
| Forgney N.S. | 23 | – | Catholic | English | 3.3 km | |
| Tang N.S. | 117 | −6% | Catholic | English | 3.9 km | |
| Tashinny N.S. | 23 | +15% | Church of Ireland | English | 5.5 km | |
| Colehill Mixed N.S. | 96 | −19% | Catholic | English | 6.9 km | |
| Naomh Dominic N.S. | 109 | −35% | Catholic | English | 7.2 km | |
| Ard na gCraith NS | 110 | −15% | Catholic | English | 9.4 km |
The other 33 primary schools in Co. Longford
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. an Leana Mor | 69 | +53% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 11 km |
| Cloontagh Mixed N.S. | 14 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 11 km |
| S.N. Naomh Mhuire | 64 | −35% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| Saint Mels | 180 | −19% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| Naomh Earnain N.S. | 29 | +21% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Stonepark N.S. | 239 | +4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 15 km |
| Scoil Bhríde | 52 | +86% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| Fermoyle Mixed N.S. | 112 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 16 km |
| Gaelscoil an Longfoirt | 112 | −30% | Catholic | All in Irish | ✓ | 17 km |
| St Josephs Convent | 527 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| St. John's National School, | 19 | −27% | Church of Ireland | English | 18 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Micheal | 224 | −5% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| St Marys N.S. | 352 | −7% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| St Emer's National School | 215 | +0% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| St. Johns National School | 67 | +24% | Church of Ireland | English | ✓ | 19 km |
| Lanesborough Primary School | 88 | +5% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 19 km |
| Scoil Mhuire | 69 | −15% | Catholic | English | 19 km | |
| S.N. Mhuire | 94 | −3% | Catholic | English | 20 km | |
| S.N. Cnoc an Mharcaigh | 289 | +2% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire N.S. | 317 | −13% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 22 km |
| S.N. Naomh Treasa | 306 | −1% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Samhthann N.S. | 145 | −3% | Catholic | English | 25 km | |
| Naomh Padraig N.S. | 57 | +19% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| Killasonna Mixed N.S. | 41 | −18% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| Naomh Guasachta N.S. | 44 | −14% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| St Marys Mixed N.S. | 215 | −7% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 28 km |
| The Sacred Heart Primary NS | 250 | +32% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| St Bernards Mixed N.S. | 29 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| St Patricks | 63 | −28% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 45 | −33% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| S.N. Naomh Colmcille | 155 | +37% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| St Columbas Mxd N.S. | 56 | +47% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. Longford | 108 | −24% | Catholic | English | 39 km |
Living in Ballymahon
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the N39 Eircode area
Housing in Ballymahon →The median sale price rose from €170,000 in 2023 to €200,000 in 2025 (+18%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the N39 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Ballymahon
Cost of living in Ballymahon →New tenancies in Ballymahon averaged €1,064 a month in 2025, against €1,037 in 2024 (+3%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Ballymahon, N39 KA06
Primary schools near St Matthews Mixed N.S.
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about St Matthews Mixed N.S.
Is St Matthews Mixed N.S. a good school?
We don’t grade it: Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them. Its inspection reports on gov.ie, a visit and a talk with the principal will tell you more than any table could.
How many pupils does St Matthews Mixed N.S. have?
373 pupils in 2025/26. That is +5% since 2019/20.
Does St Matthews Mixed N.S. teach through Irish?
No: St Matthews Mixed N.S. teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs St Matthews Mixed N.S.?
St Matthews Mixed N.S. has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnoise.
How do pupils get a place at St Matthews Mixed N.S.?
Apply to the school directly. It publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates; if more children apply than it has places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Which schools of the same kind are near St Matthews Mixed N.S.?
The nearest are Forgney N.S. (3.3 km), Tang N.S. (3.9 km) and Tashinny N.S. (5.5 km).
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · inspection reports on gov.ie, linked by roll number. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Facts from the Department of Education’s school lists. Listed with Ballymahon; nothing here rates the school.
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).