St Hildas Sp Sch
GRACE PARK ROAD, ATHLONE, CO WESTMEATH · N37 YR62 · Roll number 19261J
St Hildas Sp Sch is the only one of the special schools in or within 3 km of Athlone. Every school in and around Athlone →
What stands out about St Hildas Sp Sch
- 58 pupils, near the middle for special schools in Ireland (the median is 58).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- Growing: 58 pupils, 32% more than the 44 of 2019/20.
- 14 girls and 44 boys: more of one than the other.
- Its patron is St Hilda's Services; its ethos is Catholic.
- The only special school in Athlone or within 3 km of it.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26St Hildas Sp Sch had 58 pupils in 2025/26, against 38 in 2015/16 (+53%). Girls are 24% of them. Its roll rose in 7 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for St Hildas Sp Sch
Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing schools by them, so this school has no letter and nothing here ranks it. Its facts are the Department of Education’s; its inspection reports are linked below.
What the Department of Education does publish for St Hildas Sp Sch is on this page: its pupils each September since 2015/16, girls and boys, its patron and ethos, whether it teaches through Irish, whether it is in DEIS, and its inspection reports.
Newspapers print lists of how many of a school’s leavers go on to college. Those count destinations, not exam results, and depend on who a school takes in; we don’t use them.
Inspection reports on St Hildas Sp Sch
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate visits schools and publishes its reports. The reports describe what inspectors saw; they give no overall grade, and we don’t make one. Reports for this school on gov.ie ↗
Inspectors visit every kind of school. Whole-school evaluations look at teaching and learning, leadership and management; subject inspections look at one subject; follow-through inspections check whether earlier advice was taken. Each report is published on gov.ie with the school’s response.
Getting a place at St Hildas Sp Sch
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Places at St Hildas Sp Sch follow a professional report on the child’s needs; the National Council for Special Education’s local special educational needs organiser helps families apply.
A school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its admission policy, often brothers and sisters, the area it serves and, for post-primary schools, its feeder primaries. A family refused a place can appeal.
Places in special classes and special schools are allocated with the National Council for Special Education.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: St Hildas Sp Sch has grown by 32% since 2019/20. All the schools around Athlone together changed by +11%.
Pupils since 2019/20
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; Department of Education enrolments 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary).
Side by side with the nearest special schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
St Hildas Sp Sch has more pupils than any of the 1 nearest special schools. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +32%; 1 of the 1 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Hildas Sp Sch | 58 | +32% | Catholic | English | ||
| St. Teresa's Special School | 47 | +74% | Other | English | 20 km |
The other 3 special schools in Co. Westmeath
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saplings Special School | 36 | +20% | Multi-denominational | English | 40 km | |
| St Brigids Spec Sch | 93 | +15% | Catholic | English | 40 km | |
| Naomh Mhuire | 46 | +59% | Catholic | English | 60 km |
Living in Athlone
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the N37 Eircode area
Housing in Athlone →The median sale price rose from €245,000 in 2023 to €324,000 in 2025 (+32%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the N37 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Athlone
Cost of living in Athlone →New tenancies in Athlone averaged €1,315 a month in 2025, against €1,221 in 2024 (+8%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Athlone, N37 YR62
Special schools near St Hildas Sp Sch
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about St Hildas Sp Sch
Is St Hildas Sp Sch a good school?
We don’t grade it: Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them. Its inspection reports on gov.ie, a visit and a talk with the principal will tell you more than any table could.
How many pupils does St Hildas Sp Sch have?
58 pupils in 2025/26. That is +32% since 2019/20.
Does St Hildas Sp Sch teach through Irish?
No: St Hildas Sp Sch teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs St Hildas Sp Sch?
St Hildas Sp Sch has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is St Hilda's Services.
How do pupils get a place at St Hildas Sp Sch?
Apply to the school directly. It publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates; if more children apply than it has places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Which schools of the same kind are near St Hildas Sp Sch?
The nearest are St. Teresa's Special School (20 km).
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · inspection reports on gov.ie, linked by roll number. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Facts from the Department of Education’s school lists. Listed with Athlone; nothing here rates the school.
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).