Photo: Charlie Doolally · CC BY-SA 2.0Few schools around Cleaboy teach through Irish: 3%, below Co. Waterford’s towns and Irish towns
That leaves Cleaboy below both Co. Waterford’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). In or within 3 km of Cleaboy: 18 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 2 special schools, 11,782 pupils in all. 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 Cleaboy’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: De La Salle College (1,023), St Angela's Secondary School (937), C.B.S. Mount Sion, Waterford (494), Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School (479) and Presentation Secondary School (458). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 11 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School (0.7 km), St Paul's Community College (0.9 km) and Presentation Secondary School (1 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 29 schools in and around Cleaboy
Every school in Cleaboy or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. Ireland publishes no school-by-school results, which is why these cards have no letters.
Where the 29 schools in and around Cleaboy 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 Cleaboy’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 Cleaboy
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Cleaboy’s 29 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil na nDeise.
Who Cleaboy’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Waterford’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 Cleaboy | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 47% | 30% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 2% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 54% | 35% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
47% of the pupils around Cleaboy are at a DEIS school, more than the 27% across Ireland (30% in Co. Waterford). Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at single-sex schools stand out most: 54% against 29%. The largest DEIS school here is St Paul's Community College, with 792 pupils.
Each of the 29 schools
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.
Who runs Cleaboy’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
23 of Cleaboy’s 29 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Waterford & Lismore (15), CEIST (2) and Edmund Rice Schools Trust (2). 13 of the 29 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 10 patrons of Cleaboy’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
10 patrons run the 29 schools around Cleaboy; the largest, Bishop of Waterford & Lismore, has 15 of them and 39% of the pupils. The local Education and Training Board runs 2. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Waterford & LismoreS.N. Ursula Naofa, Presentation Primary School, S.N. Deaglan, St Stephens, Mount Sion CBS, Scoil Lorcain BNS, St Saviours, Our Lady of Mercy Senior P.s., St Pauls B, Scoil Naomh Eoin le Dia, Waterpark, An Teaghlaigh Naofa Girls Junior, Gaelscoil na nDeise, St Martins Special Sch, St Josephs Special Sch | Catholic | 15 | 4,548 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustDe La Salle College, St Angela's | Catholic | 2 | 1,960 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustWaterpark College, C.B.S. Mount Sion, Waterford | Catholic | 2 | 1,115 |
| CEISTOur Lady of Mercy, Presentation | Catholic | 2 | 937 |
| Friends Patron Company clgNewtown School, Newtown Junior School | Quaker | 2 | 527 |
| Bishop of OssoryS.N. Muire an Port Mor, Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS | Catholic | 2 | 399 |
| Kilkenny & Carlow ETBAbbey | Inter-denominational | 1 | 1,004 |
| To be decided ETBSt Paul's | Inter-denominational | 1 | 792 |
| Educate TogetherWaterford Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 386 |
| Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory COIChrist Church | Church of Ireland | 1 | 114 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Cleaboy
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 27 schools, 9 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 11 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
All 27 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 Cleaboy’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 29 schools below links its own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Cleaboy
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
11 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Cleaboy: 8 voluntary secondary schools and 3 ETB schools. Of these, 5 are single-sex: 3 for girls and 2 for boys. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of Mercy Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 479 | 0.7 km |
| St Paul's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 792 | 0.9 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 458 | 1 km |
| C.B.S. Mount Sion, WaterfordVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 494 | 1.4 km |
| St Angela's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 937 | 2.1 km |
| De La Salle CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 1,023 | 2.4 km |
| Waterpark CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 621 | 2.4 km |
| Newtown SchoolVoluntary secondary · Quaker | Girls and boys | Boarding | 415 | 2.6 km |
| Abbey Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,004 | 2.6 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Phort LáirgeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 146 | 6.3 km |
| Coláiste Cois SiúireETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 167 | 8.3 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Cleaboy
2 special schools serve the area: St Josephs Special Sch and St Martins Special Sch, 196 pupils between them. 7 of the 18 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.
Cleaboy beside the 89 other Irish towns of 2,400 to 4,700 people
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km, listed by population: Ireland publishes no results, so none is ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dangan | 4,621 | 30 | 10,789 | 5 | 23% | 1.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Newtownmountkennedy | 3,539 | 5 | 1,475 | 0 | 20% | 3.6 km |
| Shandon | 3,539 | 63 | 19,030 | 5 | 52% | 0.4 km |
| Rahoon | 3,486 | 29 | 10,562 | 5 | 21% | 1.6 km |
| Rathnew | 3,482 | 11 | 4,543 | 1 | 36% | 1 km |
| Cleaboy | 3,454 | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.7 km |
| Limerick City Centre | 3,434 | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Clara | 3,403 | 3 | 699 | 0 | 100% | 0.3 km |
| Annacotty | 3,398 | 8 | 4,443 | 1 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Tower | 3,300 | 6 | 2,638 | 1 | 17% | 3.2 km |
| … | ||||||
| Prosperous | 2,413 | 2 | 1,169 | 0 | 50% | 0.5 km |
Of the other 89 towns, 26 have more pupils at the schools around them than Cleaboy. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 55 of the 90.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Cleaboy
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 Cleaboy had 10,864 pupils in 2015/16 and 11,782 in 2025/26. C.B.S. Mount Sion, Waterford grew most: +54% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Cleaboy
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 Cleaboy
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaboy | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.7 km |
| Lisduggan 0.9 km | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.2 km |
| Poleberry 1.4 km | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.4 km |
| Waterford City Centre 1.7 km | 33 | 12,411 | 2 | 39% | 0.5 km |
| Ballybeg 1.9 km | 32 | 12,349 | 1 | 41% | 1.1 km |
| Kilbarry 2.8 km | 30 | 12,024 | 1 | 43% | 1.9 km |
| Ballytruckle 3 km | 32 | 12,776 | 3 | 41% | 1 km |
Ballytruckle has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 3. Pupils around Cleaboy: +4% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Lisduggan led (+4%) and Ballybeg trailed (+3%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Cleaboy 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 Cleaboy
How many schools are there in Cleaboy?
In Cleaboy or within 3 km of it: 18 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 2 special schools, with 11,782 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Cleaboy that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil na nDeise teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Cleaboy?
No: all 9 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Cleaboy?
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 Cleaboy?
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).