What DEIS means for a secondary school
DEIS explained for secondary schools: how schools are chosen, the extra supports they get, the new DEIS Plus, and why DEIS says nothing about teaching quality.
Updated 16 October 2026
DEIS stands for Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools. It's the Department of Education and Youth's main programme for schools serving communities at the greatest risk of educational disadvantage.
How many secondary schools are in DEIS
In 2025/26, 232 of the 721 secondary schools were in DEIS, about one in three. More than half of them are ETB colleges.
How schools are chosen
Schools don't apply. The Department applies an identification model to every school, using census-based deprivation data for the areas students live in, along with information such as the number of students who are Traveller or Roma, homeless, or living in international protection accommodation.
What extra support DEIS secondary schools get
- A Home School Community Liaison coordinator, who works with families
- The School Completion Programme, which supports students at risk of leaving school early
- The School Meals Programme
- Extra funding tied to the school's DEIS action plan
- Extra staffing, planning support and teacher professional development
DEIS Plus
From September 2026, DEIS Plus brings more support to 121 schools with the highest needs, including 25 secondary schools. Each gets a mental health and wellbeing coordinator and a home school community liaison teacher, with extra guidance counsellor posts across the scheme.
What DEIS does and doesn't tell you
DEIS reflects the community a school serves, not how good the school is. It's not a quality signal in either direction. DEIS schools often have more staff and supports than similar schools outside the programme, and many have strong reputations locally.
If you're considering a DEIS school, ask the same questions you'd ask anywhere: subjects, supports, Transition Year and what the school is proud of. What to ask at an open night.
See every DEIS secondary school by county.
Sources
- gov.ie: Post-primary schools 2025/26 data
- gov.ie: DEIS, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools
- gov.ie: Extension of DEIS to further schools
- RTÉ: New DEIS Plus supports announced (March 2026)
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 Check the official source before you rely on a detail, and tell us at [email protected] if something's out of date.