Photo: Wanfried-Dublin · CC BY 4.05 of the 10 schools around Ratoath are multi-denominational
Of the post-primaries around Ratoath, 0% are single-sex, close to Co. Meath’s towns (0%) and below Irish towns (39%). None of its 10 schools is in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas (30% of schools across Ireland are). These schools are described rather than graded, because Ireland publishes no school results and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
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 Ratoath’s schools
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), De Lacy College (929), Ashbourne Educate Together National School (410), Ashbourne Community National School (342) and Gaelscoil na Mí (242). 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 6 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Ratoath College (0.7 km), De Lacy College (3.1 km) and Ashbourne Community School (4.9 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
Who runs Ratoath’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
5 of Ratoath’s 10 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Meath (5), Louth & Meath ETB (3) and An Foras Pátrúnachta (1). None of the 10 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 10 schools in and around Ratoath 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 Ratoath’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 Ratoath
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
1 of Ratoath’s 10 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil na Mí.
Who Ratoath’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside 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 Ratoath | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 0% | 14% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 0% | 22% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
Fewer of the pupils around Ratoath are at DEIS schools than across Ireland: 0% against 27% (Co. Meath: 14%). Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at single-sex schools stand out most: 0% against 29%.
Each of the 10 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratoath CollegePost-primary · ETB | 1,132 | 49% | ||
| St Pauls N.S.Primary | 565 | 47% | ||
| Ratoath Senior N.S.Primary | 319 | 52% | ||
| Ratoath Junior N.S.Primary | 213 | 48% | ||
| De Lacy CollegePost-primary · ETB | 929 | 49% | ||
| Gaelscoil na MíPrimary | 242 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Ashbourne Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | 410 | 48% | ||
| Ashbourne Community National SchoolPrimary | 342 | 47% | ||
| S.N. Aindreis NaofaPrimary | 107 | 48% | ||
| Scoil Nais DeaglainPrimary | 621 | 53% |
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 4 patrons of Ratoath’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Bishop of Meath is patron of 5 of the 10 schools around Ratoath, which teach 37% of their pupils; 4 patrons run them in all. The local Education and Training Board runs 3. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of MeathScoil Nais Deaglain, St Pauls, Ratoath Senior, Ratoath Junior, S.N. Aindreis Naofa | Catholic | 5 | 1,825 |
| Louth & Meath ETBRatoath College, De Lacy College, Ashbourne Community | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 3 | 2,403 |
| 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 Ratoath
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
3 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 7 have shrunk by as much, out of 10; across Ireland: +5%.
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 10 schools in and around Ratoath
Each school in or within 3 km of Ratoath links to a page of its own. Results by school aren’t published in Ireland, so the cards carry none.
Inspection reports for Ratoath’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and 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 10 schools below each link their own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Ratoath CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Pauls N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ratoath Senior N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ratoath Junior N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| De Lacy CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil na MíPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ashbourne Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ashbourne Community National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Aindreis NaofaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Nais DeaglainPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ratoath
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
6 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Ratoath: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratoath CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,132 | 0.7 km |
| De Lacy CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 929 | 3.1 km |
| Ashbourne Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,109 | 4.9 km |
| Coláiste RiogaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 267 | 4.9 km |
| Community College DunshaughlinETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,120 | 5.9 km |
| St Peter's CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,214 | 9.7 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ratoath
No special school is in or near Ratoath. 5 of the 8 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.
Ratoath beside the 85 other Irish towns of 7,100 to 13,600 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mallow | 13,456 | 11 | 4,357 | 1 | 18% | 0.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Shannon | 10,256 | 10 | 2,913 | 1 | 20% | 0.6 km |
| Kilmainham | 10,240 | 106 | 27,472 | 4 | 62% | 0.5 km |
| Parnell Square | 10,117 | 124 | 33,167 | 9 | 52% | 0.1 km |
| Dungarvan | 10,081 | 12 | 3,623 | 1 | 25% | 0.5 km |
| Ratoath | 10,077 | 10 | 4,880 | 1 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| Churchtown | 10,044 | 106 | 41,500 | 9 | 13% | 0.2 km |
| Nenagh | 9,895 | 11 | 3,044 | 1 | 0% | 0.1 km |
| Monkstown | 9,831 | 57 | 22,012 | 4 | 11% | 0.3 km |
| Finglas North | 9,805 | 73 | 21,290 | 8 | 62% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Dunboyne | 7,155 | 14 | 7,600 | 1 | 7% | 0.3 km |
Of these 85 other towns, 56 count more pupils at their schools than Ratoath. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 83 of the 86.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ratoath
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 Ratoath had 3,942 pupils in 2015/16 and 4,880 in 2025/26. Ashbourne Community National School grew most: +280% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ratoath
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 Ratoath
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratoath | 10 | 4,880 | 1 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| Ashbourne 4.2 km | 13 | 6,695 | 2 | 0% | 1.1 km |
| Dunshaughlin 5.4 km | 5 | 2,399 | 1 | 0% | 0.4 km |
| Dunboyne 9.9 km | 14 | 7,600 | 1 | 7% | 0.3 km |
| Clonee 11 km | 25 | 12,320 | 2 | 28% | 1.3 km |
| Hollystown 11 km | 68 | 22,939 | 3 | 50% | 1.9 km |
| Ongar 12 km | 42 | 22,425 | 3 | 21% | 0.3 km |
Hollystown has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 3. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Ratoath changed by +1%; among its neighbours, Dunshaughlin’s grew most (+30%) and Clonee’s least (−4%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ratoath 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 Ratoath
How many schools are there in Ratoath?
In Ratoath or within 3 km of it: 8 primary schools and 2 secondary schools, with 4,880 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ratoath that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil na Mí teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ratoath?
No: all 2 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Ratoath?
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 Ratoath?
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).