Photo: Trounce · CC BY-SA 2.5Ashbourne has 2 schools teaching entirely through Irish, out of 13 nearby
All-Irish schools make up 15% of those around Ashbourne, above both Co. Meath’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). 6 of its 13 schools are multi- or inter-denominational, against 14% across Ireland. 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 Ashbourne’s schools
More all-Irish schools than most places
Families here have more choice of a school that teaches every subject through Irish than in most of Ireland, where 8% of schools do. They are Gaelscoil na Mí (242) and Gaelscoil na Cille (227). Language ↓
A choice beyond the church schools
Most schools in Ireland have a church patron; here more of them are multi- or inter-denominational than in most places (14% across Ireland). They are Ratoath College (1,132), Ashbourne Community School (1,109), De Lacy College (929) and Ashbourne Educate Together National School (410), and 2 more. Who runs them ↓
No school in DEIS
None of the schools here is in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas; across Ireland, 30% of schools are. Who runs them ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 5 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Ashbourne Community School (1.1 km), De Lacy College (1.1 km) and Ratoath College (4.1 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
Teaching through Irish in and around Ashbourne
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
2 of Ashbourne’s 13 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil na Mí and Gaelscoil na Cille.
Who runs Ashbourne’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
7 of Ashbourne’s 13 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Meath (7), Louth & Meath ETB (3) and Louth & Meath ETB & Bishop of Meath (1). None of the 13 is 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 13 schools in and around Ashbourne 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 Ashbourne’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.
Who Ashbourne’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Meath’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 Ashbourne | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 0% | 14% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 0% | 22% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
Around Ashbourne, 0% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 14% in Co. Meath. Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 0% here against 29%.
Each of the 13 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | 1,109 | 50% | ||
| De Lacy CollegePost-primary · ETB | 929 | 49% | ||
| Scoil Nais DeaglainPrimary | 621 | 53% | ||
| Scoil MhuirePrimary | 479 | 50% | ||
| Ashbourne Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | 410 | 48% | ||
| Ashbourne Community National SchoolPrimary | 342 | 47% | ||
| Gaelscoil na MíPrimary | 242 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil na CillePrimary | 227 | 54% | ✓ | |
| St Pauls N.S.Primary | 565 | 47% | ||
| S.N. Aindreis NaofaPrimary | 107 | 48% | ||
| Ratoath CollegePost-primary · ETB | 1,132 | 49% | ||
| Ratoath Senior N.S.Primary | 319 | 52% | ||
| Ratoath Junior N.S.Primary | 213 | 48% |
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 5 patrons of Ashbourne’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
5 patrons run the 13 schools around Ashbourne; the largest, Bishop of Meath, has 7 of them and 38% of the pupils. Education and Training Boards run 4 of them. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of MeathScoil Nais Deaglain, St Pauls, Scoil Mhuire, Ratoath Senior, Gaelscoil na Cille, Ratoath Junior, S.N. Aindreis Naofa | Catholic | 7 | 2,531 |
| Louth & Meath ETBRatoath College, De Lacy College, Ashbourne Community | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 3 | 2,403 |
| Louth & Meath ETB & Bishop of MeathAshbourne | Inter-denominational | 1 | 1,109 |
| Educate TogetherAshbourne Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 1 | 410 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil na Mí | Multi-denominational | 1 | 242 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Ashbourne
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
4 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 7 have shrunk by as much, out of 13; across Ireland: +5%.
All 13 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.
The 13 schools in and around Ashbourne
Here are the schools in Ashbourne or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
Inspection reports for Ashbourne’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and 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 13 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Ashbourne Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| De Lacy CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Nais DeaglainPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil MhuirePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ashbourne Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ashbourne Community National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil na MíPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil na CillePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Pauls N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Aindreis NaofaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ratoath CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ratoath Senior N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ratoath Junior N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ashbourne
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
Families in Ashbourne have 5 post-primary schools within 10 km: 4 ETB schools and one community school. Every one of them takes girls and boys. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,109 | 1.1 km |
| De Lacy CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 929 | 1.1 km |
| Ratoath CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,132 | 4.1 km |
| Coláiste RiogaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 267 | 9.1 km |
| Community College DunshaughlinETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,120 | 9.9 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ashbourne
No special school is in or near Ashbourne. 5 of the 10 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.
Ashbourne beside the 76 other Irish towns of 11,000 to 21,200 people
Towns of a similar size, with the schools in or within 3 km of each; ordered by population, never ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenterstown | 20,967 | 102 | 40,675 | 5 | 40% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Dundrum | 16,570 | 89 | 35,482 | 10 | 7% | 0.4 km |
| Ballinteer | 16,038 | 72 | 28,624 | 5 | 8% | 0.5 km |
| East Wall | 15,907 | 138 | 39,486 | 10 | 44% | 1.1 km |
| Cabinteely | 15,864 | 67 | 21,279 | 4 | 21% | 0.6 km |
| Ashbourne | 15,680 | 13 | 6,695 | 2 | 0% | 1.1 km |
| Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney | 15,642 | 11 | 5,783 | 1 | 0% | 1.4 km |
| Tullamore | 15,598 | 14 | 4,273 | 1 | 43% | 0.4 km |
| Tallaght | 15,588 | 85 | 30,738 | 9 | 42% | 0.8 km |
| Clontarf West | 15,296 | 151 | 40,521 | 9 | 51% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Shankill | 11,009 | 43 | 13,386 | 5 | 28% | 1.9 km |
Of the other 76 towns, 58 have more pupils at the schools around them than Ashbourne. Every one of them has an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ashbourne
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 Ashbourne had 5,791 pupils in 2015/16 and 6,695 in 2025/26. Ashbourne Community National School grew most: +280% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ashbourne
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 Ashbourne
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne | 13 | 6,695 | 2 | 0% | 1.1 km |
| Ratoath 4.2 km | 10 | 4,880 | 1 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| Dunshaughlin 9.5 km | 5 | 2,399 | 1 | 0% | 0.4 km |
| Hollystown 10 km | 68 | 22,939 | 3 | 50% | 1.9 km |
| Dunboyne 12 km | 14 | 7,600 | 1 | 7% | 0.3 km |
| Clonee 12 km | 25 | 12,320 | 2 | 28% | 1.3 km |
| Mulhuddart 12 km | 50 | 26,364 | 3 | 24% | 0.9 km |
Hollystown has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 3. Pupils around Ashbourne: +2% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Dunshaughlin led (+30%) and Clonee trailed (−4%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ashbourne 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 Ashbourne
How many schools are there in Ashbourne?
In Ashbourne or within 3 km of it: 10 primary schools and 3 secondary schools, with 6,695 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ashbourne that teach through Irish?
Yes, 2: Gaelscoil na Mí and Gaelscoil na Cille teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ashbourne?
No: all 3 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Ashbourne?
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 Ashbourne?
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).