Schools in Dublin: international schools, Irish state schools and the road to a UK university

Most British families in Dublin end up in Irish schools, and are happy there. The international option exists, but it's the IB, not GCSEs and A levels.

The short version

• Children aged 6 to 16 must be in school or home-schooled in Ireland [1].
• We couldn't find a Dublin school teaching the English National Curriculum through to GCSE and A level. The international options follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) [2][3].
• Nord Anglia International School Dublin costs €16,561 to €25,296 a year in 2026/27 (about £13,800 to £21,080) [4].
• Irish state schools are free, but many are run by a church and popular ones fill up; admissions are set by each school's published policy [5].
• Children educated abroad for 3 or more years can be exempt from Irish if they're 12 or over, or finished primary school elsewhere [6].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002), rounded.

How Irish schooling compares with back home

The shape is familiar enough, but the names change:

Irish children start secondary a year later than English ones, and the Leaving Cert is broader than A levels, with six or seven subjects. Points from the Leaving Cert decide university places through the CAO, the Irish answer to UCAS. Our guide to Irish schools: patronage, Irish exemptions and the Leaving Cert goes into the detail.

International schools in Dublin

If your posting is short or you'll move on again, an international school keeps things steady. Two Dublin schools with a long international track record are:

Nord Anglia International School Dublin

Part of the British-founded Nord Anglia group, in Leopardstown (Dublin 18), it describes itself as Ireland's only IB continuum school, for children aged 3 to 18 [2][4]. Fees for 2026/27 are [4]:

On top of that there's a one-off, non-refundable enrolment fee of €1,600 (about £1,330) once a place is offered, half of which comes off the first tuition bill [4]. Fees are payable annually or termly in euros, there's a 5% discount for second and later siblings, and exam fees, trips, buses, lunches and music lessons are extra [4].

St Andrew's College, Booterstown

A co-educational day school in south Dublin founded by Presbyterian churchmen in the 1890s, with junior and senior schools [3]. Senior students choose between the Leaving Certificate and the IB Diploma, which the school has offered since 1982 [3]. That choice is handy for British families who aren't sure whether they'll stay. St Andrew's publishes its 2026/27 fees as a PDF on its admissions page; we couldn't read the scanned figures, so check them with the school directly.

Fee-charging Irish schools

Ireland also has fee-charging secondary schools (what you'd call private schools back home), many with long waiting lists. They teach the Irish curriculum and the Leaving Cert, and they can charge admission fees, which publicly funded schools can't [5]. Fees are usually well below international school levels. Ask each school about its fees and its enrolment timetable, because some take names years in advance.

Irish state schools

For most British families, state schools are the answer. They're free, they teach in English (unless you choose a Gaelscoil, which teaches through Irish), and your child will make local friends fast.

Who runs them

Most Irish primary schools have a religious patron, usually the Catholic Church, with the Church of Ireland running a smaller number. There are also multi-denominational schools, such as Educate Together and Community National Schools, which are in high demand in Dublin. Schools can't refuse a child because of religion, apart from narrow exceptions to protect a school's ethos or for minority faith schools, and children can opt out of religious instruction [5].

How admissions work

1. Find the school's annual admission notice. Every school must publish one on its website, giving the application dates and the date you'll hear back [5].
2. Apply to several schools. You can apply anywhere, not just locally, and to more than one school [5].
3. Read the admissions policy. If a school is oversubscribed, it ranks children using its published criteria, such as siblings or catchment area [5].
4. Don't pay to get in. Publicly funded schools can't charge fees for admission. They may ask for a voluntary contribution, which is optional [5].
5. Appeal if refused. There's a formal appeal process if your child is refused a place [5].

Schools can't select on ability, interviews, your job or when your form arrived (as long as it was in on time) [5]. If a school isn't full, it should take your child even after the deadline [5], which is useful when you move mid-year.

The Irish language

Irish is a core subject and your child must study it unless exempt [6]. Children moving from abroad can get an exemption if they were educated outside Ireland for 3 or more consecutive years without the chance to learn Irish, and they [6]:

• are 12 or over when they enrol, or
• finished primary school in another country

You apply through the school principal, who must decide within 21 working days [6]. Younger children don't qualify on these grounds and will learn Irish with their classmates. Most pick it up quicker than their parents expect.

UK universities from Dublin

Many British teenagers in Dublin apply to both Irish and UK universities. A few things to know:

• UCAS works from Ireland. Applications go through UCAS as they would from the UK, and the UCAS tariff has a conversion for Leaving Cert grades. Start about a year before the course begins [7].
• The CTA covers education. It gives UK and Irish citizens the right to education at every level in each other's country, but you usually need 3 years' residence in Ireland or the UK before the course starts to get financial support [7].
• Fee status depends on where you've lived. Whether your child pays home fees at a UK university, and whether they get a student loan, depends on the rules of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and on their residence history. Check with each university before you accept a place.

Our guide to university in Ireland or the UK: fees for Brits sets out the Irish and UK fee rules side by side.

For honest reviews of local schools from parents who've been there, try our community group for Brits in Ireland, here.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Ireland (updated 26 February 2026)
2. Nord Anglia International School Dublin: homepage
3. St Andrew's College Dublin: International Baccalaureate and Admissions and Fees
4. Nord Anglia International School Dublin: Tuition fees 2026–2027
5. Citizens Information: Admissions policies in primary and secondary schools
6. Citizens Information: Exemption from studying Irish
7. Citizens Information: Studying in the UK including Northern Ireland

Keep reading

• Irish schools: patronage, Irish exemptions and the Leaving Cert
• University in Ireland or the UK: fees for Brits
• Moving to Dublin as a Brit
• Registering a child born abroad and British citizenship by descent