The Irish Education System
A plain-English guide to how second-level education works in Ireland — from the structure of the school day to the Leaving Certificate and beyond.
Structure at a Glance
Secondary (post-primary) education in Ireland spans six years, from around age 12 to 18. It is divided into two main cycles, with an optional Transition Year in between.
Junior Cycle
The first three years of secondary school. Students take a broad range of subjects and complete the Junior Certificate (officially the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement, JCPA) at the end. The curriculum emphasises skills development and continuous assessment alongside final exams. Students typically take eight to ten subjects, including English, Irish, Maths, and a mix of optional subjects.
Transition Year (TY)
A unique feature of Irish secondary education, Transition Year is an optional bridge between Junior and Senior Cycle. It is offered by the majority of schools. TY students explore subjects and activities outside the normal exam syllabus — work experience, community projects, mini-companies, and extra-curricular pursuits. It is widely praised for personal development but does not contribute to Leaving Certificate points.
Not every school offers TY. When comparing schools, check whether TY is available and how the year is structured, as the quality and ambition of TY programmes varies significantly.
Senior Cycle — Leaving Certificate
The final two years of secondary school culminate in the Leaving Certificate examination, one of Europe's most high-stakes school-leaving exams. Results determine entry to most third-level courses via the CAO points system. Students typically take seven subjects — Irish and English are compulsory for most, with five optional subjects chosen from a wide range.
Subject grades run from H1 (highest) to H8 at Higher Level and O1–O8 at Ordinary Level. Points are awarded on a scale up to 100 per subject (625 maximum for six subjects plus bonus points for higher-level Maths).
LCA & LCVP
The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) is a two-year programme for students who want a more practical, task-based education. It does not give CAO points but leads to a recognised qualification.
The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) combines standard LC subjects with two link modules focused on enterprise and vocational preparation. LCVP results can contribute to CAO points.
Types of Secondary School
Post-primary schools in Ireland are funded largely by the state but are managed by a variety of bodies. Understanding the difference helps when interpreting inspection results and planning a school search.
Voluntary Secondary Schools
Privately owned, usually by religious orders or private trustees. The largest sector — about 50% of post-primary schools. Most are non-fee-paying and receive full state funding for teachers.
Education & Training Board (ETB) Schools
State schools managed by local Education & Training Boards (formerly VECs). Fully funded and typically non-denominational. About 25% of post-primary schools.
Community Schools
Co-educational schools jointly managed by religious bodies and the ETB. Established to serve newly developed communities. Typically non-fee-paying.
Comprehensive Schools
Similar to community schools but with slightly different ownership structures. Provide a wide curriculum including vocational subjects. All non-fee-paying.
Fee-Paying Schools
A minority of voluntary secondary schools charge fees. They still receive partial state funding for teacher salaries. Fees vary widely — from €3,000 to over €7,000 per year.
Gaelscoileanna / Gaelcholáistí
Schools where Irish is the primary language of instruction. Available in both urban and rural areas. All standard subjects are taught through Irish.
DEIS — Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools
DEIS is the Irish government's programme for schools in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. DEIS schools receive additional resources — smaller class sizes, literacy and numeracy supports, home–school liaison officers, and extra funding.
When reviewing ratings for DEIS schools, it is important to consider context. A DEIS school achieving "Good" outcomes may be demonstrating exceptional effort and support for its students relative to a non-DEIS school with the same rating.
On this site, DEIS status is shown as a tag on each school's profile. You can filter search results to show DEIS or non-DEIS schools separately.
The CAO and Third-Level Progression
The Central Applications Office (CAO) processes applications to the vast majority of undergraduate places at Irish universities, institutes of technology, and other colleges. Students apply in their Leaving Certificate year and receive offers based on their points.
Points requirements change each year depending on the number of applicants and the number of available places on each course. A score of 550+ is generally required for highly competitive programmes such as Medicine and Law at top universities; many courses accept students with 300–400 points.
Our Progression Score measures what percentage of a school's Leaving Certificate students go on to any third-level course — not just high-points courses. This is a meaningful measure of how well a school prepares students for post-secondary education, though it should be read alongside the school's context (DEIS status, cohort size, course mix).
The Inspectorate
The Department of Education operates an independent Inspectorate that visits schools to evaluate quality and compliance. Inspectors publish reports online at gov.ie. There are several types of inspection:
- Whole School Evaluation (WSE) — the most comprehensive type, reviewing all aspects of school life
- Subject Inspection — deep-dive into the teaching and learning of a single subject
- Programme Evaluation — review of a specific programme such as TY, DEIS, or LCA
- Follow-through Inspection — checks whether recommendations from a previous inspection have been acted on
Ratings in reports use the labels: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair, and Poor. Our scoring converts these to a numeric scale — see the methodology page for the full conversion table.