Boarding Schools
There are currently 26 boarding schools in Ireland, including boy’s school, girls school and co-educational schools. They are all prestigious traditional schools with strict admission criteria and excellent education. For International students, the appropriate entry years include Form 1, Form 2, Form 4 (also known as Transition Year), and Form 5. There are public exams at the end of the Form 3 and Form 6, where the examination areas cover the materials taught in the final two years of the cycle, therefore, Form 3 and Form 6 are not an appropriate entry year for International students. Yet, Some schools also welcome senior students to Form 5 and Form 6.
Boys Schools
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is located in County Dublin and was established in 1860. It is a secondary school run by the Holy Spirit Fathers. The school’s spirit of fearlessness and pursuit of excellence has produced many outstanding alumni, including government ministers, the President of Ireland, as well as famous writers, composers, and medical experts. The school’s excellent and diverse education enables students to excel in various fields.
Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is located in Kildare and was established in 1814. The school strives to create an open, happy, inspiring, and mutually respectful community environment, allowing students to develop their talents and abilities in a balanced, comprehensive, and generous manner.
Cistercian College
Cistercian College is located in Tipperary and was established in 1905. The school emphasizes high-quality education while also focusing on instilling a culture of respect, inclusivity, and cooperation in students. It encourages students to actively serve the community, with sincerity and a global perspective. The castle-like campus is surrounded by natural forests, providing a comfortable and natural environment where students can have a unique study experience.
Glenstal Abbey School
Glenstal Abbey School is located in Limerick and was established in 1932, with the castle building dating back to 1830. The school is a Catholic boys’ school. It encourages each student to fully utilize his talents and abilities, enabling them to find and become their true selves through the pursuit of learning and skills development. Glenstal is renowned for its high academic achievements, athletic prowess, and musical excellence.
Willow Park School
Willow Park School is located in County Dublin and was established in 1935. The core of the school’s education is to develop boys’ spiritual, academic, cultural, social, and physical aspects. At the same time, the school emphasizes the cultivation of students’ community awareness, making students, parents, and teachers feel valued in this extended family, where everyone can contribute and serve the wider community. “Cor Una et Anima Una” (One Heart, One Soul).”
Girls Schools
Coláiste Ide
Coláiste Ide is a school located on the west coast of Ireland that provides education in the Irish language. It was established in 1927 and has made significant contributions to the preservation of the Irish language. The school has been nurturing hundreds of fluent Irish speaking teachers since 1927 and it keeps making an impact on Irish language and education. This school is also the only all-girls school in Ireland that offers 7-day boarding.
Alexandra College
Alexandra College, founded in 1866, has been passionate about girls and women’s advanced education for 150 years. Alexandra College has always aimed to educate girls with a balance of knowledge, experience, and values that makes them ready to enjoy their lives and careers. Despite its long history, Alexandra College has never been complacent and has always encouraged women to question and innovate. It is one of the leading girls’ schools in Ireland.
Presentation Secondary School
Presentation Secondary School is an all girls Catholic Secondary School established in 1970 in Tipperary. The school’s mission is to encourage students to pursue academic excellence while embracing their personal potential and giving back to society in a Catholic environment. Its core value is to provide the very best education for all children, catering for individual needs in an inclusive, caring environment. To strive for excellence in learning, the school provides a rich and diverse curriculum to students. Additionally, the school’s quality education enables many students to enter university directly and even receive scholarships for further studies.
Ursuline Secondary School
Ursuline Secondary School, located in Tipperary, founded in 1787 and dedicated to the academic, spiritual, cultural, physical, social and emotional development of each student in its care. The school is dedicated to the imparting of the Christian values of Love, Truth, Justice, Respect, Tolerance and Honesty so that our students will take their place in society as caring and responsible citizens.
Co-educational Schools
Rathdown School
Rathdown School, located in South Dublin, provides education from preschool to leaving certificate level. The school celebrated its 100 years of education in 2019. It used to be a girls’ school, however, to ensure the school reflects contemporary education, it transits into coeducation and welcomes boys to the Dublin school.
Wesley College
Wesley College, located in Dublin, has been established for 170 years. It provides day and boarding coeducation to over 900 students, and it is also the only Methodist second-level school in the Republic of Ireland. It has been known for its academic excellence and its outstanding facilities at the foot of the Dublin mountains.
Bandon Grammar School
Bandon Grammar School, located in Cork, is a Church of Ireland School that provides day and boarding co-education. The school has developed many fine traditions in almost four centuries of educating young people from not only local students but also many international students from Spain, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Australia. The ratio of the number of teachers and students is 1:7 and it can ensure that students are exposed to a loving and caring environment.
Rockwell College
Rockwell College, located in Tipperary, is a Catholic school that was established in 1864. The school offers a broad curriculum to ensure students can cultivate and build respect, empathy, and sympathy. Apart from personal development, the school also focuses on academic achievement. In its recent report, the school has over half of the students who gained 500 marks or above in their Leaving certificate, which means half of their students can successfully get into university.
Kilkenny College
Kilkenny College, located in Kilkenny, is a Church of Ireland(Anglican) School which was established in 1663. The college’s academic results are on par with the leading schools in Ireland. The college is also the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland, and it serves more than 1000 students each year.
Dundalk Grammar School
Dundalk Grammar School, located in Dundalk, has been providing education for 280 years. The main building of the school dates from 1817. To provide first-class boarding accommodation to students, the school bought adjacent land to develop it into a new building. The school has never failed to grow and serve students. With its best education, 97% of the leaving certificate students get into university.
Coláiste An Phiarsaigh
Coláiste An Phiarsaigh, located in Cork, is an all-Irish co-educational boarding school. Because of the over 100 years of colonization by the British, there barely are any people who can speak Irish. Since the 18th century, Coláiste An Phiarsaigh has been conserving the use of the Irish language and striving for a proper education for those who speak the Irish language. However, this school might not fit the needs of international students.
Midleton College
Midleton College, located in Cork, has been educating students for 300 years. Not only does the school pay attention to academic results, but it is also dedicated to ensuring each student has the opportunity to mature to the greatest extent as a person to give back to society. There are many famous pupils from this school, including Isaac Butt, John Philpott Curran, etc. This school is one of the best boarding schools in Cork which has over 90% of leaving certificate students get into university each year.
Wilson’s Hospital School
Wilson’s Hospital School, located in Westmeath, is a Church of Ireland School that was established in 1724. The school maintains a distinctive Church of Ireland Ethos, fostering Christian practice and teaching, promoting dignity and respect for the individual and committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish.
Villiers Secondary School
Villiers Secondary School is located in Limerick and was established in 1821. It is affiliated with the Protestant Church. The school has a history of 200 years. 25% of the students come from different parts of the world, while the rest are local Irish students. The teachers and staff come from 40 different countries, promoting multiculturalism and international exchange, allowing students to broaden their horizons and learn to embrace diversity.
The Kings Hospital School
The Kings Hospital is located in Dublin and was established in 1669. It is a boarding school affiliated with the Church of Ireland. In addition to embracing traditional school values such as discipline, commitment, and respect for others, the school also creates a more open and diverse environment for students to develop a love for learning and benefit for life. Not only do students need to continuously strive for academic excellence, but teachers also need to continuously pursue further education to ensure the quality of education in the school.
The Royal And Prior School
The Royal And Prior School is located in Donegal, the northernmost part of Ireland, and was established in 1608. It is affiliated with the Church of Ireland. The school’s aim is to allow students to reach their full potential in a loving, happy, safe, and respectful environment. Although the school has limited boarding facilities, experienced dormitory supervisors are hired to provide maximum support to boarding students and create a sense of home.
Sligo Grammar School
Sligo Grammar School is located in Sligo and has a 400-year history of education. It is affiliated with the Church of Ireland. The school’s aim is to cultivate excellent talents in a diverse and supportive environment that upholds Christian values, enabling them to develop their potential in both academics and life.
Newtown School
Newtown School is located in Waterford and was established in 1798. It is a Christian Society of Friends school. The school embraces the teachings of the Society of Friends and strives to provide an environment without racial, gender, or class boundaries for students. Honesty, integrity, simplicity, equality, and peace are the core values of school life.
St Columba’s College
St Columba’s College is located in the Dublin Mountains, offering a panoramic view of the city of Dublin. It was established in 1843 and is affiliated with the Church of Ireland. The school’s five core values are kindness, compassion, inclusivity, responsibility, and determination. 80% of the students are boarding students, and the school has a total of nine dormitories, providing students with the best study abroad experience.
Royal School Cavan
Royal School Cavan is a co-educational school located in County Cavan. It was established in 1611 and has a proud history in providing education. The school strives to create a supportive, inclusive, and creative learning community to nurture students’ talents and abilities. It encourages each student to fully develop their academic and personal potential while instilling a lifelong learning habit guided by the school’s Christian spirit.