Schools in Ireland come with a vocabulary that confuses newcomers (infants, Junior Cycle, Leaving Cert, Gaelscoil) and a system that is, unusually, more flexible than many continental ones: you apply directly to the school, and several types coexist. This guide explains how to choose, how to apply, what is free and what is not, in the school year 2026-2027.
How does the Irish school system work?
- Primary school: eight years, from junior infants and senior infants through first to sixth class.
- Secondary school: from about 12 or 13. The Junior Cycle takes three years, followed by an optional Transition Year, then the Senior Cycle up to the Leaving Certificate, the end-of-school exam that leads to university via the Central Applications Office (CAO).
- Compulsory schooling: from 6 to 16, or up to three years of secondary.
Types of school include denominational, multi-denominational (such as Educate Together), Irish-medium (Gaelscoil) and a few fee-paying private schools. In Dublin, the Lycée français international Samuel-Beckett follows the French curriculum and is under agreement with the AEFE; ask the school directly for its fees, which we could not find on an official source.
How do you enrol your child?
- Locate schools near you and read each school's annual admission notice on its website: opening date for applications, deadline, date of the answer, date by which you must accept.
- Apply to several schools if you wish, but accept only one place and tell the chosen school about other offers you hold.
- If the school is oversubscribed, it ranks pupils according to its admission policy. It cannot select by grades, preschool attendance, interview, your job or your income.
- If refused, ask first for a review by the school's board of management (form BOMR1, answer in 42 days), then appeal to the Department of Education and Youth under section 29 within 63 days. If you cannot find a place, contact the Educational Welfare Officer at Tusla.
Do not wait until you have arrived: popular schools in cities fill early. Documents requested vary school by school: typically the application form, the child's birth certificate or ID, proof of address, the PPS number (see the PPS number guide) and previous school reports.
What does a state school cost?
- Tuition: free in state-funded schools. A school may not charge for admission; it may ask for a voluntary contribution.
- Textbooks (2026-2027): free loans in primary and secondary; a refundable €50 deposit may be asked in secondary.
- Uniform, photocopying, trips and mock exams: at your expense.
- School meals: hot meals free in primary schools that joined the School Meals Scheme (not all have).
- School transport: for children living 3.2 km or more from their primary school, or 4.8 km or more from their secondary school; usually paid, free with a medical card where the service exists.
Calendars vary a little by school. For 2026-2027, mid-term break is 26 to 30 October 2026, Christmas from 22 December (last school day) to 6 January 2027, and Easter from 19 March (last day) to 5 April 2027. Schools are closed in July and almost all of August.
Admission dates are the part families miss. If you are arriving mid-year or from abroad, Moovy can help you set out the questions to ask each school and the dates to track, though each school's policy is what counts.
What about the Irish language?
Irish is taught in most schools. A child can be exempt if they were schooled abroad for at least three consecutive years without learning Irish and are 12 or older at enrolment, or if they completed primary school in another country. Apply to the principal; the answer takes 21 working days and you can appeal within 30 days. There is no exemption in a Gaelscoil, and in Gaeltacht areas Irish-language schools may give priority to children who already speak the language well.
What help is there for children who do not speak English yet?
Ask each school about English as an Additional Language (EAL) support: some have support teachers. To place your child, bring previous reports. For foreign qualifications, NARIC Ireland offers a free comparison, which is an opinion and not a legal recognition.
How do preschool and childcare work?
Preschool is not compulsory, but the ECCE programme gives 15 free hours a week (3 hours a day, 5 days a week, 38 weeks a year) from age 2 years and 8 months at 31 August to a maximum of 5 years and 6 months on 30 June of the programme year. Enrol directly with a participating provider with the birth certificate or passport and PPS number.
For nurseries and registered childminders, the National Childcare Scheme pays the provider directly: at least €2.14 an hour per child in 2026 (no income test, children from 6 months to under 15, up to 45 hours a week), and up to €5.10 an hour for households under €68,000 net income. You need a verified MyGovID to apply online. Budget 2027 proposes changes from September 2027, not yet in force.
How do schools in Ireland deal with religion?
Many state-funded schools were founded by religious bodies, and a school that defends a religion may refuse a pupil of another faith if that is essential to protect its ethos. Your child has the right to opt out of religious teaching. If this matters to you, look at multi-denominational schools such as the Educate Together network, and at the school's admission policy, published on its website.
What does the school year look like in schools in Ireland?
Primary school runs for eight years. Children usually start at four or five in September, and the compulsory age is six. Secondary school starts around twelve or thirteen, with the three-year Junior Cycle, the optional Transition Year and the Senior Cycle, ending with the Leaving Certificate that gives access to university through the CAO. Schools close in July and nearly all of August, and holidays vary by school, so ask for the list when you enrol.
What is different about schools in Ireland for francophone and international families?
The Lycée français international Samuel-Beckett in Dublin follows the French curriculum from the first year of nursery to the final year, so your child stays in the French system. To move later into the Irish system, compare the levels with NARIC Ireland. For families from the UK, school calendars, qualifications and curricula differ from those in England and Scotland; NARIC Ireland offers a free comparison, which is an opinion and not a legal recognition. When your child's English is not strong yet, ask each school about EAL support and about the Irish exemption if relevant.
Where do you go for help with schools in Ireland?
- The school's principal for admissions, the Irish exemption and EAL.
- The Educational Welfare Officer at Tusla if you cannot find a place.
- The Department of Education and Youth for appeals under section 29.
- Citizens Information for the rules of each scheme.
For the cost of living around school and childcare, see cost of living in Ireland.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Waiting to be settled before looking.
- Assuming all schools are secular. A denominational school may refuse a child of another faith if essential to protect its ethos, though your child can opt out of religious teaching.
- Booking holidays in term. Above 20 absence days, the school must tell Tusla.
- Confusing comparison and recognition of diplomas.
Where you live shapes the schools you can reach: see best places to live in Ireland. The childcare figures link to cost of living in Ireland.