Ireland · Dublin
Alexandra College is a fee-paying girls' day and boarding school in Milltown, Dublin. Day places run from Preschool to Sixth Year; five-day and seven-day boarding begins in J5. The Senior School follows Junior Cycle, compulsory Transition Year and the Leaving Certificate.
Alexandra College is a fee-paying day and boarding school for girls on Milltown Road in Dublin. The website says it enrols pupils aged 3–19 across Preschool, Junior School and Senior School.
The College has a Church of Ireland ethos, influenced by the Quaker values of founder Anne Jellicoe. It welcomes pupils of all faiths and none. Families are expected to support its mission, ethos and behaviour code.
The Admissions Policy allows a parent, or an adult pupil, to request exemption from religious instruction in writing. The school then arranges a meeting to discuss how it can accommodate the request.
Preschool is a two-year programme for three- and four-year-old girls. It uses Aistear, Ireland’s early-childhood framework, and Froebel principles. Junior School follows the national Primary Curriculum and continues through J6.
Senior School begins with the three-year Junior Cycle. The 2024 Department inspection confirms that Transition Year is compulsory. Fifth and Sixth Year lead to the established Leaving Certificate, not the IB Diploma.
Subject choice has limits. The current curriculum page says a Junior Cycle option needs at least six pupils to run, and the exact offer may change each year. Most Senior Cycle pupils take seven Leaving Certificate subjects.
Day places are available from Preschool through Sixth Year. Five-day and seven-day boarding are available from J5, normally age ten, through Sixth Year.
Five-day boarders normally leave after school on Friday and return on Sunday evening or Monday morning. Seven-day boarders remain for weekends but may leave under the published permission and sign-out rules.
The College considers boarding applications before day applications. Its policy requires a genuine boarding need, such as distance, overseas residence or documented family circumstances. The school may interview the pupil and parents to assess boarding suitability and need.
A boarding place does not guarantee a later day place. A family seeking that change must apply in writing. If a day place exists, the fee terms charge the full annual difference between boarding and day fees before the transfer.
The live Annual Admissions Notice still covers 2026/27. It also covered First Year boarding for August 2027. That boarding window ran from 1 October to 24 October 2025, with decisions on 6 November and acceptance by 1 December.
The school’s admissions table says First Year day applications for August 2027 open in October 2026. As of 4 September 2026, it has not published the closing date, decision date, acceptance date or number of places.
Do not reuse the old figure of 104 places. That number belongs to the 2026/27 notice: 30 residential and 74 day places.
The current Open Day page, published in August 2026, lists Saturday 19 September at 10:00. Attendance cannot be used as an admissions condition.
Preschool and Junior School applications may be made at any time, subject to space. The main entry points are Preschool Lower and J2. A Preschool Lower pupil must turn three during her entry year.
The Preschool page says its pupils will be offered Junior School places. However, the Admissions Policy says prior Preschool attendance cannot influence an admissions decision or waiting-list position. Ask how these two statements operate when a year is full.
Applications for Senior School Years 2–6 are accepted throughout the year, but a place is not promised. Multi-year boarding offers may be issued from two years before entry. Single-year boarding offers may be issued from February of the entry year.
An application requires the online form, a scanned birth certificate and a €175 non-refundable fee. A First Year pupil must be aged twelve on 1 January in the calendar year after entry.
Boarding places are allocated before day places. The policy then applies these priorities in order:
Random selection also resolves a tie within a priority level. The policy excludes academic ability, parental occupation or finances, donations and ordinary interviews from admissions decisions. A boarding-suitability interview is the stated exception.
Senior School publishes pastoral care, counselling and careers guidance. Current pupil information also refers to Learning Support classes, but the site does not state their capacity, eligibility or frequency.
The Admissions Policy prohibits discrimination based on disability or special educational needs and commits the College to cooperating with the NCSE. This does not confirm that a special class, specialist staffing or a particular adjustment is currently available.
The linked Junior School policy describes literacy and numeracy support, individual plans and individual or small-group teaching. It was ratified in January 2019 and scheduled for review in May 2024. Confirm the present staffing and support model directly.
The international page says pupils whose first language is not English attend EAL. The fee terms give a more specific process. A pupil with no CEFR certificate above B2 takes the College’s test, and the College decides whether support is needed.
The current fee schedule and terms charge €1,500 a year for EAL. The international page still says €1,300. If the College’s test permits exit, it refunds the charge less the test cost.
Boarding staff provide pastoral care and homework help during prep. These general provisions are not evidence that the school can meet every medical, learning or mental-health need. Agree support and emergency arrangements before paying the deposit.
The live scholarships page lists First Year day, Senior Cycle, boarding and music awards. It says the examination date for August 2027 entry will be announced in autumn 2026, but no date is currently shown.
One Fifth Year boarding section combines August 2027 entry information with an under-seventeen cut-off dated 1 May 2026. Request corrected eligibility terms before relying on that route. Scholarships also have continuing progress and conduct conditions.
Senior School fees include the day-school element:
| Category | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| Day pupil | €9,302. |
| Five-day domestic boarder | €22,104. |
| Seven-day domestic boarder | €23,441. |
| Seven-day boarder | €28,667. |
| Seven-day non-EU boarder | €32,626. |
Junior and Preschool charges are:
| Category | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| Preschool with ECCE | €2,547. |
| Preschool without ECCE | €4,998. |
| KGLr, KGUpr and J1 | €8,808. |
| J2–J6 day pupil | €9,556. |
| Five-day domestic boarder | €22,358. |
| Seven-day domestic boarder | €23,695. |
| Seven-day boarder | €28,921. |
| Seven-day non-EU boarder | €32,880. |
Junior boarding begins only in J5. The fee terms say the boarding category depends on the parents’ ordinary residence and the pupil’s nationality. Obtain the applicable category in writing.
For this classification, the fee terms define the EU to include EU and EEA states, Switzerland and Northern Ireland.
The deposit is €1,500 for a day pupil and €3,000 for a boarder. It becomes non-refundable if an accepted pupil later withdraws before starting.
The day deposit is credited against the final invoice. For a boarder, €2,500 is credited against that invoice. The remaining €500 is returned if all bills are settled and there is no damage.
A one-year boarder receives the full €3,000 back at year end if that duration was declared at enrolment, all bills are paid and there is no damage. The Principal may require a higher deposit.
Senior direct charges include:
Junior direct charges include stationery at €75, a homework diary at €8 and Spellings for Me at €10. The JACA charge is €20 and insurance is €10.
Junior trip charges are €90 for KG–J2 and €130 for J3–J6. J4–J5 iPad rental is €250. The same €800 weekend-trip charge applies to relevant seven-day boarders.
Optional music and singing cost €1,350 solo or €675 shared. Other Junior clubs and lessons range from €80 to €450. The voluntary development contribution is €325.
Preschool and Junior aftercare is available until 18:00 at additional cost. The public page does not state that charge.
The early-payment reduction is €500 when core fees and direct charges are paid fully by 31 July. It does not apply with a scholarship, bursary, grant or subsidy, subject to the limited sibling/ECCE exception in the terms.
A 10% sibling reduction applies to core fees for the second and subsequent daughters attending together. It excludes optional music and sport, and does not combine with scholarships, bursaries, grants or subsidies.
Both parents or guardians, and any agency involved, are jointly and severally liable for charges. Non-EU-based fee payers must pay in full before the school year because SEPA instalments are available only within the EU banking system.
For a Fifth Year pupil whose family lives outside Ireland, the College may demand two years’ fees in advance. An international boarder must have an Ireland-resident guardian. If the College acts as guardian, it charges €2,500 a year.
Withdrawal requires one full term’s written notice to the Principal and an email to admissions. Without that notice, the charge is one-third of the annual fee. The deposit is offset against this amount.
Alexandra offers an unusually broad age range and a genuine choice between day, five-day and seven-day boarding. It will suit families seeking girls’ education, Irish qualifications and a Church of Ireland ethos that also welcomes other beliefs.
The practical cautions are admissions timing and financial liability. August 2027 boarding has already closed, while the August 2027 day notice is still missing. Several charges sit outside tuition, and leaving without a term’s notice is expensive.
The Dublin guide covers other local options. The Ireland guide explains the national admissions and curriculum context.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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5 minStart with your child’s needs and the schools you can realistically access. A boys’, girls’, or co-educational label does not tell you enough about teaching, friendships, support, or daily life.
8 minStart with the child and a realistic weekly timetable. Then confirm who provides care, which nights are covered, and what happens when plans change.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.