Secondary school costs and the help available (2026/27)
Free schoolbooks, voluntary contributions, devices, school transport, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and State exam fees for secondary school families.
Updated 16 October 2026
Schoolbooks are free
Since the 2025/26 school year, the free schoolbooks scheme covers every year of secondary school, including Transition Year, in schools in the Free Education Scheme. Fee-paying schools aren't included. Schools can't charge you for books or core classroom resources the scheme covers. They can ask for a refundable deposit of up to €50, but can't refuse books if you don't pay it. Mock exams and TY trips aren't covered.
Voluntary contributions are voluntary
Many schools ask for a voluntary contribution. In Barnardos' 2025 survey, 84% of secondary school parents said they'd been asked for one, averaging €133. Department guidance for schools is clear:
- The school must make clear there's no obligation to pay.
- Your child's place can't depend on paying.
- Schools can't charge any mandatory fee, in whatever form, for enrolment or continued enrolment.
Schools can charge the real cost of some things, such as photocopying, practical subject materials, insurance, lockers, text messaging, mock exams, and optional extras like supervised study or trips.
Devices
In the same Barnardos survey, half of secondary parents said their school required them to buy a device, at an average cost of €430. Ask before you enrol which device is needed, whether you can buy it elsewhere, and whether the school has help for families who can't afford it.
School transport
- Your child is generally eligible if they live 4.8 km or more from their nearest post-primary school, taking ethos and language into account.
- For 2026/27 the charge is €100 per child, with a family maximum of €220.
- Children with a full medical card don't pay, as long as the card details are submitted by the deadline.
- Children who aren't eligible can apply for a spare seat as a concessionary ticket.
- Apply through the Bus Éireann portal. The deadline is usually the last Friday in April; for 2026/27 it was 8 May 2026.
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
In 2026 the allowance was €285 for each child aged 12 to 22 in second-level education, for families getting certain social welfare or training payments. Most families were paid automatically in July. Applications opened on 3 June and closed on 30 September 2026. Rates and dates are set each year.
State exam fees
- For 2026, the Leaving Cert fee was €116 and the Junior Cycle fee was €109.
- Students with a full medical card, or covered by a parent's full medical card, don't pay. A GP visit card doesn't count.
- Fees and exemptions are handled through the State Examinations Commission's online fees service, usually in spring.
Comparing schools on cost? See fee-paying or free, and plan the year with our school holiday dates.
Sources
- gov.ie: Final phase of free schoolbooks scheme
- Department of Education: Post-primary Schoolbooks Scheme 2025/26, a guide for parents
- FSSU: School charges and voluntary contributions (post-primary)
- Barnardos: Back to school survey 2025
- gov.ie: School transport
- gov.ie: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance 2026
- gov.ie: State Examinations 2026
- Citizens Information: Junior Cycle exams and results
Rules and rates change. Check the official source before you rely on a detail, and tell us at [email protected] if something's out of date.