Photo: Simon Mortimer · CC BY-SA 2.025% of the post-primaries around Rathnew are single-sex: 0% around Co. Wicklow’s towns, 39% around Irish towns
36% of the schools around Rathnew are DEIS schools, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (10%) and close to Irish towns (35%). In or within 3 km of Rathnew, they have 4,543 pupils in all. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
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 11 schools in and around Rathnew 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 Rathnew’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 Rathnew
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
1 of Rathnew’s 11 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin.
Who Rathnew’s schools serve
The pupils at the area’s schools by share, beside Co. Wicklow’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 Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 46% | 23% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 21% | 20% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 4% | 6% |
46% of the pupils around Rathnew are at a DEIS school, more than the 27% across Ireland (23% in Co. Wicklow). Where this area differs most from Ireland is post-primary pupils at single-sex schools, at 21% against 29%. Coláiste Chill Mhantáin, with 995 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 11 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Coen's National SchoolPrimary | 328 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil Chill MhantáinPrimary | 285 | 55% | ✓ | |
| Coláiste Chill MhantáinPost-primary · ETB | 995 | 35% | ✓ | |
| Wicklow Educate Together NSPrimary | 377 | 42% | ||
| East Glendalough SchoolPost-primary · Comprehensive | 365 | 47% | ||
| Wicklow Educate Together Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 404 | 35% | ✓ | |
| Glebe N.S.Primary | 210 | 47% | ||
| Padraig Naofa N.S.Primary | 377 | 42% | ✓ | |
| Scoil an Choroin MhuirePrimary | 432 | 51% | ||
| Dominican CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 461 | 100% | ||
| Scoil na Coróine MhuirePrimary | 309 | 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 Rathnew’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
5 of Rathnew’s 11 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (4), Educate Together (2) and An Foras Pátrúnachta (1). 4 of the 11 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 7 patrons of Rathnew’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
The schools around Rathnew answer to 7 patrons, and Archbishop of Dublin leads with 4 of the 11 schools and 32% of their pupils. An Education and Training Board runs one of them. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinScoil an Choroin Mhuire, Padraig Naofa, St Coen's, Scoil na Coróine Mhuire | Catholic | 4 | 1,446 |
| Educate TogetherWicklow Educate Together, Wicklow Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 2 | 781 |
| Kildare & Wicklow ETBColáiste Chill Mhantáin | Inter-denominational | 1 | 995 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustDominican College | Catholic | 1 | 461 |
| Minister for Education Archbishop of Dublin & Glendalough COIEast Glendalough School | Church of Ireland | 1 | 365 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Chill Mhantáin | Inter-denominational | 1 | 285 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COIGlebe | Church of Ireland | 1 | 210 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Rathnew
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
Between 2019/20 and now, 5 of the 11 grew by 5% or more and 3 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +5%.
All 11 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 11 schools in and around Rathnew
Each school in or within 3 km of Rathnew links to a page of its own. Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Inspection reports for Rathnew’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and none rated
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.
The reports describe what inspectors saw and what each school should do next. They give no overall grade, so none is shown here; the 11 schools below each link their own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St Coen's National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil Chill MhantáinPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste Chill MhantáinPost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Wicklow Educate Together NSPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| East Glendalough SchoolPost-primary · Comprehensive | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Wicklow Educate Together Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Glebe N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Padraig Naofa N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil an Choroin MhuirePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Dominican CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil na Coróine MhuirePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Rathnew
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
4 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Rathnew: 2 voluntary secondary schools, one ETB school and one comprehensive school. One of them is single-sex. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Chill MhantáinETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 995 | 1 km |
| East Glendalough SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 365 | 1.7 km |
| Wicklow Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 404 | 2.1 km |
| Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 461 | 2.9 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Rathnew
No special school is in or near Rathnew. 6 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.
Rathnew 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 |
| … | ||||||
| Ballyfermot | 3,632 | 58 | 19,071 | 2 | 57% | 0.4 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 |
| … | ||||||
| Prosperous | 2,413 | 2 | 1,169 | 0 | 50% | 0.5 km |
Among the 89 other towns, 41 have more pupils at their schools than Rathnew does. Within 3 km, 55 of these 90 towns have a school teaching through Irish.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Rathnew
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 Rathnew had 3,946 pupils in 2015/16 and 4,543 in 2025/26. Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School grew most: +963% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Rathnew
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 Rathnew
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
Of Rathnew’s neighbours, Kilcoole saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+52%) and Ashford the least (+5%); Rathnew itself: +12%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Rathnew 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 Rathnew
How many schools are there in Rathnew?
In Rathnew or within 3 km of it: 7 primary schools and 4 secondary schools, with 4,543 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Rathnew that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Rathnew?
No: all 4 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Rathnew?
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 Rathnew?
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).