Columba College
Killucan, Co Westmeath · N91 ET78 · Roll number 71430C
Columba College is the only one of the post-primary schools in or within 3 km of Killucan-Rathwire. Every school in and around Killucan-Rathwire →
What stands out about Columba College
- A small post-primary school: 278 pupils, against a typical 585.
- About as many pupils as in 2019/20 (+14%).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- In 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.
- 100 girls and 178 boys: more of one than the other.
- An ETB school: run by the county’s Education and Training Board.
- Its patron is the Longford & Westmeath ETB; its ethos is multi-denominational.
- The only post-primary school in Killucan-Rathwire or within 3 km of it.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Columba College had 278 pupils in 2025/26, against 188 in 2015/16 (+48%). Girls are 36% of them. Its largest roll was 306, in 2023/24. Its roll rose in 6 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Columba College
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 Columba College 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 Columba College
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 Columba College
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Columba College directly, usually in the year before their child finishes sixth class; the school’s yearly admission notice gives the dates for applying and for its decisions.
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.
It is in DEIS, so it has extra support for pupils from disadvantaged areas.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Columba College has grown by 14% since 2019/20. All the schools around Killucan-Rathwire together changed by −5%.
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 post-primary schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
Each of the 6 nearest post-primary schools has more pupils than Columba College. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +14%; 3 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columba College | 278 | +14% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | |
| Mullingar Community College | 367 | +22% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Loreto College | 825 | −3% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Colaiste Mhuire, | 873 | +11% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| St Finian's College | 891 | +9% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| St Joseph's Secondary School | 1,129 | +26% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Coláiste Clavin | 519 | +40% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 16 km |
The other 7 post-primary schools in Co. Westmeath
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlepollard Community College | 318 | +15% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| Wilson's Hospital School | 453 | +12% | Church of Ireland | English | 21 km | |
| Meán Scoil an Chlochair | 740 | +24% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| Moate Community School | 913 | +7% | Inter-denominational | English | 41 km | |
| Athlone Community College | 1,117 | −5% | Multi-denominational | Some subjects in Irish | 53 km | |
| Our Lady's Bower | 630 | −11% | Catholic | English | 53 km | |
| Marist College | 610 | +26% | Catholic | English | 53 km |
Living in Killucan-Rathwire
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the N91 Eircode area
Housing in Killucan-Rathwire →The median sale price rose from €250,000 in 2023 to €327,800 in 2025 (+31%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the N91 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Co. Westmeath
Cost of living in Killucan-Rathwire →New tenancies in Co. Westmeath averaged €1,257 a month in 2025, against €1,156 in 2024 (+9%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Killucan-Rathwire, N91 ET78
Post-primary schools near Columba College
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Columba College
Is Columba College 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 Columba College have?
278 pupils in 2025/26. That is +14% since 2019/20.
Does Columba College teach through Irish?
No: Columba College teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs Columba College?
Columba College has a multi-denominational ethos. Its patron is Longford & Westmeath ETB.
How do pupils get a place at Columba College?
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 Columba College?
The nearest are Mullingar Community College (13 km), Loreto College (14 km) and Colaiste Mhuire, (14 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 Killucan-Rathwire; 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).