Limerick school search
Limerick’s secondary-school choice is not simply fee-paying versus free. Teaching language, single-sex or co-educational provision, and the need for boarding produce different shortlists. First Year day applications share a local system; boarding and transfers need separate enquiries.
Start with the school day your child needs. Villiers offers fee-paying day and boarding places on North Circular Road. Crescent College Comprehensive, in Dooradoyle, is a tuition-free co-educational Jesuit school. The two Laurel Hill schools offer Catholic girls’ education, but in different teaching languages.
These four profiles are a starting point, not a complete Limerick directory. The local Common Application System (CAS) covers 17 post-primary schools. Use the Ireland guide for the wider school system.
Laurel Hill Secondary, on South Circular Road, teaches through English. Laurel Hill Coláiste, at Cnoc na Labhras, teaches through Irish. Both are tuition-free FCJ schools; FCJ refers to the Faithful Companions of Jesus religious tradition.
For the Coláiste, consider whether your daughter can learn new subject content through Irish, not just whether she enjoys Irish lessons. Its published oversubscription policy gives a specific priority to applicants with established oral Irish that would otherwise risk regressing. This requires evidence and sits below earlier priority categories; it is not a universal entrance test. Read the current policy before ranking the school.
Crescent is the more relevant comparison if you want co-education and the Irish Leaving Certificate without boarding fees. Villiers adds boarding and a choice between the Leaving Certificate and the International Baccalaureate Diploma in the senior years. The IB is a separate, fully privately funded programme with higher fees.
The Limerick Education Support Centre says the CAS portal for September 2027 entry opens on 1 October 2026 at 9 a.m. It is for pupils moving from sixth class into First Year. Transfers into other secondary years go directly to the school.
Check each school’s 2027/28 annual admission notice before submitting preferences. The older 2026/27 notices advertised 150 First Year places at Crescent, 116 at Laurel Hill Secondary and 72 at the Coláiste. Those are not promised numbers for 2027.
Villiers boarding applications are made directly; its current page is considering 2027/28 and 2028/29 entrants. Do not assume a day application also secures accommodation.
Villiers’ 2026/27 fees distinguish Irish, EU and non-EU schedules. On the Irish schedule, annual day tuition is €5,120 for Junior Cycle or Leaving Certificate, and €9,970 for the IB. A €750 development charge applies once per new family, with other extras.
Five-day and fortnightly boarding differ from seven-day provision. The Irish fee sheet restricts seven-day boarding to pupils whose parents or guardians live overseas; the school still closes for holidays and mid-terms.
Compare the journey to Dooradoyle with those to North and South Circular Road at the actual arrival and collection times. Ask about after-school study and activities before choosing housing. The Limerick overview collects the school profiles.
Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.
Crescent is a co-educational comprehensive day school in Dooradoyle, Limerick. Its policy describes a Catholic Jesuit identity, while the Department records an interdenominational ethos. First Year uses Limerick’s shared application system.
LimerickLaurel Hill Coláiste is a Catholic girls’ day school in Limerick where teaching is through Irish. It is separate from the English-medium Laurel Hill Secondary. First Year admission uses Limerick’s common application system, with specific priority and oral-Irish provisions.
LimerickLaurel Hill Secondary is a Catholic girls’ day school on South Circular Road in Limerick, teaching through English. It is separate from the nearby Irish-medium Laurel Hill Coláiste. First Year admission uses Limerick’s common application system; the school’s published 2026–27 intake information is historical.
LimerickVilliers is a coeducational Protestant day and boarding school in Limerick, offering the Leaving Certificate and IB Diploma. First-year day applicants use Limerick’s shared application system; boarding applicants apply directly. Fees differ by programme, residence category and boarding arrangement.
Start with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.
7 minA useful visit should help you picture your child’s school day and resolve the questions that matter to your family. Ask for concrete examples, then separate what you observed from what you were told.