Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.035% of the schools around Athlone are in DEIS: 0% around Co. Westmeath’s towns, 35% around Irish towns
All-Irish schools make up 6% of those around Athlone, above Co. Westmeath’s towns (0%) but below Irish towns (8%). In or within 3 km of Athlone, they have 6,365 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.
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.
Where the 17 schools in and around Athlone 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 Athlone’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 Athlone
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Athlone’s 17 schools teach every subject through Irish: Scoil na gCeithre Maistri.
Who Athlone’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside Co. Westmeath’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 Athlone | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 22% | 23% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 4% | 3% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 51% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 37% | 23% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
Around Athlone, 22% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 23% in Co. Westmeath. Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 37% here against 29%. The biggest school in DEIS is St Marys N.S. (573 pupils).
Each of the 17 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 1,117 | 47% | ||
| Our Lady's BowerPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 630 | 100% | ||
| Marist CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 610 | 0% | ||
| St Marys N.S.Primary | 573 | 46% | ✓ | |
| S.N. an CusanPrimary | 413 | 53% | ||
| Corr na Madadh N SPrimary | 306 | 51% | ✓ | |
| Scoil na gCeithre MaistriPrimary | 235 | 51% | ✓ | ✓ |
| S.N. Phoil NaofaPrimary | 125 | 52% | ✓ | |
| St Peters N.S. SnrPrimary | 112 | 94% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Deaghan O CeallaighPrimary | 77 | 1% | ✓ | |
| St Hildas Sp SchSpecial | 58 | 24% | ||
| Athlone N.S.Primary | 56 | 50% | ||
| S N Cluain na CillePrimary | 399 | 48% | ||
| S.N. Cnoc an SamhraidhPrimary | 223 | 40% | ||
| Coláiste ChiaráinPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,040 | 48% | ||
| Cluain Buinne N.S.Primary | 164 | 48% | ||
| Sc CiarainPrimary | 227 | 52% |
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 Athlone’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
14 of Athlone’s 17 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Elphin (6), Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnoise (5) and Longford & Westmeath ETB (1). 6 of the 17 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 8 patrons of Athlone’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
The schools around Athlone answer to 8 patrons, and Bishop of Elphin leads with 6 of the 17 schools and 31% of their pupils. The local Education and Training Board runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of ElphinColáiste Chiaráin, S N Cluain na Cille, S.N. Cnoc an Samhraidh, S.N. Phoil Naofa, St Peters N.S. Snr, S.N. Deaghan O Ceallaigh | Catholic | 6 | 1,976 |
| Bishop of Ardagh & ClonmacnoiseSt Marys, S.N. an Cusan, Scoil na gCeithre Maistri, Sc Ciarain, Cluain Buinne | Catholic | 5 | 1,612 |
| Longford & Westmeath ETBAthlone | Multi-denominational | 1 | 1,117 |
| La Sainte Union SistersOur Lady's Bower | Catholic | 1 | 630 |
| Marist Brothers (Province of West Central Europe)Marist College | Catholic | 1 | 610 |
| Longford & Westmeath Education and Training BoardCorr na Madadh N S | Multi-denominational | 1 | 306 |
| St Hilda's ServicesSt Hildas Sp Sch | Catholic | 1 | 58 |
| Bishop of Meath & Kildare COIAthlone | Church of Ireland | 1 | 56 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Athlone
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
Since 2019/20, 6 of these 16 schools have grown by 5% or more and 9 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 16 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 17 schools in and around Athlone
Here are the schools in Athlone or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
Inspection reports for Athlone’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 17 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Athlone Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Our Lady's BowerPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Marist CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. an CusanPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Corr na Madadh N SPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil na gCeithre MaistriPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Phoil NaofaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Peters N.S. SnrPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Deaghan O CeallaighPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Hildas Sp SchSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Athlone N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S N Cluain na CillePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Cnoc an SamhraidhPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste ChiaráinPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Cluain Buinne N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Sc CiarainPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Athlone
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
Within 10 km of Athlone there are 4 post-primary schools: 3 voluntary secondary schools and one ETB school. 2 teach girls and boys apart: 1 girls’ and 1 boys’ schools. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marist CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 610 | 1.1 km |
| Our Lady's BowerVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 630 | 1.4 km |
| Athlone Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,117 | 1.5 km |
| Coláiste ChiaráinVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 1,040 | 3.4 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Athlone
St Hildas Sp Sch is the special school here, with 58 pupils. 5 of the 12 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.
Athlone beside the 49 other Irish towns of 16,000 to 30,900 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ennis | 27,923 | 18 | 7,595 | 1 | 33% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Balbriggan | 24,322 | 17 | 8,295 | 2 | 29% | 0.3 km |
| Portlaoise | 23,494 | 13 | 6,518 | 1 | 15% | 0.6 km |
| Jobstown | 23,437 | 53 | 19,772 | 5 | 45% | 0.1 km |
| Lucan | 23,033 | 74 | 34,600 | 5 | 28% | 0.4 km |
| Athlone | 22,869 | 17 | 6,365 | 1 | 35% | 1.1 km |
| Stepaside | 22,796 | 73 | 25,639 | 5 | 14% | 0.9 km |
| Clondalkin | 22,788 | 120 | 39,367 | 6 | 54% | 0.2 km |
| Mullingar | 22,667 | 18 | 6,384 | 2 | 33% | 0.4 km |
| Rathmines West | 22,667 | 136 | 39,314 | 9 | 38% | 0 km |
| … | ||||||
| Ballinteer | 16,038 | 72 | 28,624 | 5 | 8% | 0.5 km |
Among the 49 other towns, 46 have more pupils at their schools than Athlone does. 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 Athlone
Pupils every September at the schools in or within 3 km of the town, each counted at today’s site.
The schools in and around Athlone had 5,648 pupils in 2015/16 and 6,365 in 2025/26. Coláiste Chiaráin grew most: +127% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Athlone
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 Athlone
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
Pupils around Athlone: +11% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Ferbane led (+10%) and Moate trailed (+4%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Athlone 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 Athlone
How many schools are there in Athlone?
In Athlone or within 3 km of it: 12 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 special school, with 6,365 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Athlone that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Scoil na gCeithre Maistri teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Athlone?
No: all 4 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Athlone?
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 Athlone?
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).