Photo: Cathal · CC BY-SA 2.0Around Nenagh, only 0% of schools are in DEIS, fewer than around Co. Tipperary’s towns or Irish towns
In the comparison, Nenagh comes below both Co. Tipperary’s towns (50%) and Irish towns (35%). None of its 11 schools is in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas (30% of schools across Ireland are). Ireland publishes no school results, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them, so these schools are described here, never graded or ranked.
Counted from the Department of Education’s 2025/26 lists: every school in the town or within 3 km of it, against every school in Ireland.
What stands out about Nenagh’s schools
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. Joseph's CBS Nenagh (715) and St Mary's Secondary School (577). Every school ↓
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 ↓
One school growing fast
St. Joseph's CBS Nenagh has grown from 538 pupils in 2019/20 to 715, the fastest of the schools here. Getting a place ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
The 11 schools in and around Nenagh
Every school in Nenagh or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. No school here carries a letter or a result: Ireland publishes neither for individual schools.
Who runs Nenagh’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
7 of Nenagh’s 11 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Killaloe (5), Tipperary ETB (2) and Edmund Rice Schools Trust (1). None of the 11 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 11 schools in and around Nenagh 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 Nenagh’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 Nenagh
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Nenagh’s 11 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Aonach.
Who Nenagh’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Tipperary’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 Nenagh | Co. Tipperary | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 0% | 31% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 6% | 3% | 6% |
| Girls | 47% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 79% | 41% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 4% | 6% |
0% of the pupils around Nenagh are at a DEIS school, fewer than the 27% across Ireland (31% in Co. Tipperary). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 79% here against 29%.
Each of the 11 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph's CBS NenaghPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 715 | 0% | ||
| St Mary's Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 577 | 100% | ||
| St Marys ConventPrimary | 351 | 82% | ||
| Nenagh CollegePost-primary · ETB | 345 | 57% | ||
| Bunscoil na mBráithre CríostaíPrimary | 248 | 21% | ||
| Nenagh Community National SchoolPrimary | 200 | 12% | ||
| Gaelscoil AonachPrimary | 179 | 59% | ✓ | |
| St Marys N.S.Primary | 53 | 51% | ||
| Nenagh Community Special SchoolSpecial | 11 | 36% | ||
| S.N. Lios an HallaPrimary | 136 | 45% | ||
| Carrig N.S.Primary | 229 | 46% |
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 Nenagh’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
6 patrons run the 11 schools around Nenagh; the largest, Bishop of Killaloe, has 5 of them and 38% of the pupils. The local Education and Training Board runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of KillaloeSt Marys Convent, Bunscoil na mBráithre Críostaí, Carrig, Gaelscoil Aonach, S.N. Lios an Halla | Catholic | 5 | 1,143 |
| Tipperary ETBNenagh College, Nenagh Community | Multi-denominational | 2 | 545 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustSt. Joseph's CBS Nenagh | Catholic | 1 | 715 |
| CEISTSt Mary's | Catholic | 1 | 577 |
| Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert COISt Marys | Church of Ireland | 1 | 53 |
| patron not listedNenagh Community Special School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 11 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Nenagh
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
Of these 10 schools, 4 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 4 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +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.
Inspection reports for Nenagh’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and 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 11 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St. Joseph's CBS NenaghPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Mary's Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys ConventPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Nenagh CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Bunscoil na mBráithre CríostaíPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Nenagh Community National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil AonachPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Nenagh Community Special SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Lios an HallaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Carrig 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 Nenagh
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
3 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Nenagh: 2 voluntary secondary schools and one ETB school. 2 of them are single-sex, 1 for girls and 1 for boys. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 577 | 0.1 km |
| Nenagh CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 345 | 0.5 km |
| St. Joseph's CBS NenaghVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 715 | 0.7 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Nenagh
Nenagh Community Special School is the special school here, with 11 pupils. 4 of the 7 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.
Nenagh beside the 85 other Irish towns of 6,900 to 13,400 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arklow | 13,399 | 9 | 3,343 | 2 | 33% | 0.3 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 |
| Cabra West | 9,786 | 132 | 34,456 | 10 | 63% | 0.2 km |
| Kilmore | 9,786 | 110 | 32,817 | 10 | 42% | 0.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Buncrana | 6,971 | 7 | 2,583 | 2 | 43% | 0.6 km |
Of the other 85 towns, 73 have more pupils at the schools around them than Nenagh. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 83 of the 86.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Nenagh
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Nenagh had 2,955 pupils in 2015/16 and 3,044 in 2025/26. Nenagh Community National School grew most: +37% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Nenagh
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 Nenagh
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nenagh | 11 | 3,044 | 1 | 0% | 0.1 km |
| Borrisokane 15 km | 2 | 862 | 0 | 50% | 1 km |
| Ballina 17 km | 4 | 1,336 | 0 | 50% | 1.1 km |
| Killaloe 18 km | 4 | 1,336 | 0 | 50% | 0.7 km |
Pupils around Nenagh: +6% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Borrisokane led (+24%) and Killaloe trailed (+9%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Nenagh 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 Nenagh
How many schools are there in Nenagh?
In Nenagh or within 3 km of it: 7 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 special school, with 3,044 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Nenagh that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil Aonach teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Nenagh?
No: all 3 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Nenagh?
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 Nenagh?
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).