Types of secondary school in Ireland explained
Voluntary secondary schools, ETB community colleges, community schools and comprehensive schools: who runs them, their ethos, and what the differences mean for your family.
Updated 16 October 2026
Ireland has four main types of secondary school. They all follow the same national curriculum, lead to the same State exams and follow the same admissions law. The differences are in who owns and runs them, their ethos and, often, their size and mix.
In 2025/26 there were 721 secondary schools:
- 378 voluntary secondary schools
- 246 ETB schools (listed by the Department as vocational)
- 83 community schools
- 14 comprehensive schools
Voluntary secondary schools
These are owned by a trustee or patron, such as a religious order, a bishop, an education trust or a board of governors, and run by a board of management. The trustee keeps the school's ethos. Most have a Catholic ethos (333 of 378); others are Church of Ireland or another faith.
- Most single-sex schools are voluntary secondary schools: 111 girls' schools and 94 boys' schools.
- All 50 fee-paying schools are voluntary secondary schools. The rest are free.
ETB schools (community colleges)
These are set up and run by one of the 16 regional Education and Training Boards, which is the school's patron. They're often called community colleges. They're all mixed, and most are multi-denominational. Most Gaelcholáistí are ETB schools.
Community schools
Community schools have joint trustees: usually a religious or other private trustee together with an ETB. Some were formed when a voluntary secondary school and an ETB school merged. Their boards include trustee nominees, parents and teachers. Almost all are mixed, and they tend to be large, averaging about 720 students.
Comprehensive schools
A small group of 14 schools. Their boards include nominees of the local Catholic bishop or Protestant church authority, together with an ETB nominee, parents and teachers. All are mixed.
What it means for your family
- Ethos. It shapes religious education and school life more than admissions. How admissions work.
- Subjects. All types follow the same Junior Cycle framework. Practical subjects have traditionally been more common in ETB, community and comprehensive schools, but check each school's list.
- Single-sex or mixed. If you want a single-sex school, you're almost always looking at voluntary secondary schools. See girls' schools and boys' schools.
- Quality. The type of school tells you nothing about how good it is. Visit, read the inspection reports and talk to other parents. How to choose a secondary school.
Every school page shows its type, ethos and size. Browse every secondary school.
Sources
- gov.ie: Post-primary schools 2025/26 data
- Eurydice: Organisation of lower secondary education in Ireland
- National Parents Council: Overview of post-primary education
- ACCS: Composition of boards of management
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.