School in Ireland: free, mostly Catholic, and your child can be exempted from Irish

Yes, your children can go to an ordinary state school in Ireland, and it is free: most schools are funded by the government, and parents pay no enrolment fees. Education is compulsory from 6 to 16, or until your child has completed three years of secondary school, but most children start at four or five. Two things surprise Dutch parents. More than 88% of primary schools have a Catholic patron, with prayers and sacrament preparation in the school day. And Irish is a core subject, unless your child gets an exemption. The trap is applying: you apply per school, not through the municipality, and the round for next year already opens on 1 October.

How is the system organised?

Stage	Age	What it is
Primary school (national school)	usually from 4 or 5	8 years: junior and senior infants, then first to sixth class
Junior Cycle	from 12 or 13	the first three years of secondary school, with Junior Cycle exams
Transition Year	15 to 16	a separate year, optional in many schools and with limited places
Senior Cycle	16 to 18	two years, ending with the Leaving Certificate
Compulsory schooling	6 to 16	or until three years of secondary school are completed

A child starting school for the first time generally goes into junior infants. If it has been to school before, the principal, the teacher and you decide together which class it goes into. All state primary schools follow the same national curriculum. The primary school day lasts 5 hours and 40 minutes, including breaks. The school year starts in the week of 1 September.

How do you choose between a Catholic and another school?

Every primary school has a patron, who decides the ethos of the school. In 2025 more than 88% of primary schools had a Catholic patron, 6% another religious patron, and only 5.5% a non-religious patron, such as Educate Together schools and the Community National Schools of the regional education boards.

If you choose a Catholic school and don't want your child to take part in religious instruction or preparation for First Holy Communion, you can opt your child out. The school must then make alternative arrangements; what exactly is up to the school, and that may also be other work in the same classroom. A school may not refuse your child because of its religion, race, disability or family status. Only a school of a religious minority may give priority to children of that minority when there aren't enough places.

There are also Gaelscoileanna, schools that teach through Irish. For a child just arrived from the Netherlands that is a big step; and at a Gaelscoil you cannot get an exemption from Irish.

How do you apply?

Directly to the school, with the application form on its website. Every school publishes an admissions notice each year, at least a week before applications open, with the dates, the number of places and the deadline for accepting a place. The admissions policy says how the school chooses if there are more applications than places.

Apply early, and to more than one school. Schools open applications for the next school year from 1 October: in October 2026 you apply for September 2027. Whoever arrives in the summer looks for a place in schools that have already had their round. Search with the Department's Find a School tool and contact several schools at once.

For secondary school the Department is developing a single application form for multiple schools; until it exists, you apply per school.

Does your child have to learn Irish?

In principle yes: Irish is a core subject. But a child coming from abroad can be exempted if it was educated outside Ireland for three or more consecutive years without learning Irish, and is 12 or older on the day of enrolment, or completed primary education in another country. Children arriving younger therefore learn Irish.

Exemption from Irish	What applies
Who applies	you, through the school principal
Decision	within 21 working days
Appeal	to the Irish Exemptions Appeal Committee, within 30 days
At a Gaelscoil	no exemption possible
For university	doesn't carry over; some courses require a grade in Irish

That last row matters for teenagers. An exemption at school doesn't automatically apply to higher education. Whoever later wants to become a primary school teacher, for example, needs a minimum grade in Irish. So check what the intended course requires before choosing in Senior Cycle.

What does it cost?

No enrolment fee at a state school. Many primary schools ask for a voluntary contribution, and it really is voluntary. At secondary school there are other costs, such as the uniform and exam fees. Schools in the Free Education Scheme have given free schoolbooks and classroom resources to Junior Cycle students since September 2024, and since September 2025 also in Transition Year and Senior Cycle. If your child lives more than 3.2 kilometres from the primary school, or 4.8 kilometres from the secondary school, you can apply for school transport.

How the choice of school coincides with your choice of home is shown in the journey at /ierland.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Ireland or go straight to step 5.4 in the open plan.