Photo: Sottobosco90 · CC BY-SA 4.0Around Ballina, 67% of the post-primary schools take only girls or only boys, above Co. Mayo’s towns and Irish towns
That leaves Ballina above both Co. Mayo’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (39%). 2 of its 3 secondary schools take only boys or only girls. 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 Ballina’s schools
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: Cullens N.S. (273), Scoil Íosa (242), Beheymore N.S. (228) and Moyne College (221), and 3 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: St. Mary's Secondary School (551) and St Muredachs College (403). Every school ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Who runs Ballina’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
12 of Ballina’s 14 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Killala (8), Western Care Association (2) and CEIST (1). 7 of the 14 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 14 schools in and around Ballina
Each school in or within 3 km of Ballina links to a page of its own. Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
Where the 14 schools in and around Ballina 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 Ballina’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 Ballina
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
1 of Ballina’s 14 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maol.
Who Ballina’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside Co. Mayo’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 Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 45% | 37% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 48% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 81% | 26% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
More of the pupils around Ballina are at DEIS schools than across Ireland: 45% against 27% (Co. Mayo: 37%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 81% here, 29% there. Of the DEIS schools here, Cullens N.S. is the biggest: 273 pupils.
Each of the 14 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 551 | 100% | ||
| St Muredachs CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 403 | 0% | ||
| Quignamanger N.S.Primary | 364 | 46% | ||
| Scoil ÍosaPrimary | 242 | 48% | ✓ | |
| Moyne CollegePost-primary · ETB | 221 | 39% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil na gCeithre MaolPrimary | 141 | 52% | ✓ | ✓ |
| St Dympnas Spec SchoolSpecial | 33 | 39% | ||
| St Nicholas Spec SchSpecial | 30 | 37% | ||
| Saint Michaels N.S.Primary | 17 | 35% | ||
| Cullens N.S.Primary | 273 | 51% | ✓ | |
| St Joseph's NSPrimary | 217 | 48% | ✓ | |
| Beheymore N.S.Primary | 228 | 50% | ✓ | |
| Knockanillo N.S.Primary | 28 | 39% | ✓ | |
| Scoil CholmcillePrimary | 231 | 47% |
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 6 patrons of Ballina’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Of the 14 schools around Ballina, 8 have Bishop of Killala as patron, teaching 67% of the pupils; 6 patrons in all. An Education and Training Board runs one of them.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of KillalaSt Muredachs College, Quignamanger, Cullens, Scoil Íosa, Scoil Cholmcille, Beheymore, St Joseph's NS, Knockanillo | Catholic | 8 | 1,986 |
| Western Care AssociationSt Dympnas Spec School, St Nicholas Spec Sch | Catholic | 2 | 63 |
| CEISTSt. Mary's | Catholic | 1 | 551 |
| Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim ETBMoyne College | Multi-denominational | 1 | 221 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil na gCeithre Maol | Catholic | 1 | 141 |
| Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry COISaint Michaels | Church of Ireland | 1 | 17 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Ballina
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.
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; each school’s admission policy and notice are on its own website.
Which schools are growing
7 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 2 have shrunk by as much, out of 11; across Ireland: +5%.
All 11 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 Ballina’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 14 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St. Mary's Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Muredachs CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Quignamanger N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil ÍosaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Moyne CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil na gCeithre MaolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Dympnas Spec SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Nicholas Spec SchSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Saint Michaels N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Cullens N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Joseph's NSPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Beheymore N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Knockanillo N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil CholmcillePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ballina
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
4 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Ballina: 3 voluntary secondary schools and one ETB school. Of these, 2 are single-sex: 1 for girls and 1 for boys. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moyne CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 221 | 0.5 km |
| St Muredachs CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 403 | 0.7 km |
| St. Mary's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 551 | 0.9 km |
| Jesus & Mary Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 541 | 9.6 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ballina
2 special schools serve the area: St Dympnas Spec School and St Nicholas Spec Sch, 63 pupils between them. 4 of the 9 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.
Ballina beside the 88 other Irish towns of 7,400 to 14,300 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbally and King's Island | 14,213 | 45 | 15,801 | 6 | 49% | 0.2 km |
| … | ||||||
| Longford | 10,952 | 12 | 3,607 | 1 | 83% | 0.2 km |
| Rush | 10,875 | 13 | 5,851 | 2 | 8% | 0.7 km |
| Portmarnock | 10,750 | 53 | 18,370 | 3 | 26% | 0.5 km |
| Skerries | 10,743 | 14 | 4,988 | 1 | 21% | 0.2 km |
| Ballina | 10,556 | 14 | 2,979 | 1 | 50% | 0.5 km |
| Terenure | 10,391 | 119 | 38,960 | 8 | 37% | 0.3 km |
| Kildare | 10,302 | 4 | 2,671 | 1 | 25% | 1.2 km |
| Shannon | 10,256 | 10 | 2,913 | 1 | 20% | 0.6 km |
| Kilmainham | 10,240 | 106 | 27,472 | 4 | 62% | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||||
| Clongriffin | 7,438 | 53 | 15,799 | 4 | 36% | 0.3 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 80 of the other 88 towns than around Ballina. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 86 of the 89.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ballina
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Ballina had 2,853 pupils in 2015/16 and 2,979 in 2025/26. St Nicholas Spec Sch grew most: +50% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ballina
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 Ballina
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina | 14 | 2,979 | 1 | 50% | 0.5 km |
| Crossmolina 11 km | 3 | 1,029 | 0 | 33% | 0.8 km |
| Enniscrone 12 km | 2 | 381 | 0 | 0% | 0.3 km |
| Foxford 15 km | 2 | 753 | 0 | 0% | 0.3 km |
Since 2019/20 the pupils around Ballina changed by +10%; among its neighbours, Foxford’s grew most (+6%) and Enniscrone’s least (−13%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ballina 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 Ballina
How many schools are there in Ballina?
In Ballina or within 3 km of it: 9 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 2 special schools, with 2,979 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ballina that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maol teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ballina?
No: all 3 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Ballina?
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 Ballina?
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).