In this guide
The Irish school market in 2026
Ireland educates the overwhelming majority of its children, including most expat children, in the state-funded national and voluntary system. That system is free, English medium and open to resident families, and it leads to the Junior Cycle and then the Leaving Certificate. This single fact shapes the whole international market. Unlike Dubai, Singapore or Madrid, where the fee-paying international sector is the default for a relocating family, in Ireland the fee-paying and IB sector is a minority choice taken by families who need a specific curriculum or a particular school culture.
The dedicated international segment, by which we mean schools delivering the IB or a foreign national curriculum in a language other than English, is therefore narrow and Dublin-centred. The largest concentration of these schools sits on the south side of Dublin and in the surrounding suburbs. Alongside them sits a wider tier of fee-paying Irish private schools that follow the Irish curriculum but carry a strong international outlook, and a small number of national-curriculum schools attached to embassies and language communities. For city-level detail, see our Dublin city guide, which covers the neighbourhoods, commute patterns and housing the school choice depends on.
Numbers in this market are small. Where Spain counts its international schools in the hundreds, Ireland counts the dedicated foreign-curriculum and IB schools in the low dozens, the great majority of them in Dublin. Families relocating to Cork, Galway or Limerick will generally find the Irish state and private system rather than a dedicated international school, and should plan accordingly.
Curricula on offer
Four curriculum routes are realistically available to a relocating family in Ireland. The first and largest is the Irish national curriculum itself, leading to the Junior Cycle and the Leaving Certificate. It is delivered free in the state sector and for a modest fee in the Irish private schools, and it is the route the majority of resident children follow.
The second is the International Baccalaureate. The IB footprint is small but real and concentrated in Dublin. Nord Anglia International School Dublin runs the full IB continuum from the early years through to the IB Diploma, and St Andrew's College in Booterstown offers the IB Diploma as an alternative to the Leaving Certificate at sixth form. A small number of primary schools offer the IB Primary Years Programme. For the curriculum decision in detail, read our IB curriculum guide.
The third route is the foreign national curriculum delivered by embassy and language-community schools. St Kilian's Deutsche Schule in Clonskeagh delivers a German and Irish bilingual programme, and the Lycee Francais d'Irlande in Foxrock serves the French community with the French national curriculum. These schools exist primarily for families connected to those national communities, though they also attract families wanting genuine bilingual immersion.
The fourth route is the British curriculum, which is far thinner in Ireland than in continental Europe. Few schools deliver IGCSE and A Levels as a standalone English-system pathway, in part because the Irish Leaving Certificate already serves the English-speaking academic market. Families set on the British system will find more depth in our British curriculum guide and may need to weigh the Leaving Certificate or the IB as the practical Irish alternative.
Dublin: the international cluster
Dublin holds almost the entire dedicated international segment in Ireland. Nord Anglia International School Dublin, which opened in 2018, is the clearest example of the type: a purpose-built international school running the full IB continuum, with a student body drawn from dozens of nationalities and tuition that sits broadly between 12,000 and 20,000 euros across the year groups. It is the natural first stop for a family that wants an IB education from the early years through to the diploma in one school.
St Andrew's College in Booterstown is the other anchor of the Dublin IB market. It is an established co-educational fee-paying school that offers both the Irish Leaving Certificate and the IB Diploma at sixth form, which makes it attractive to families who want the option of either pathway and a settled Irish school culture. The German and French community schools, St Kilian's Deutsche Schule and the Lycee Francais d'Irlande, complete the genuinely international tier, each serving its own national community with a bilingual or foreign-curriculum programme.
The geography of Dublin matters for school choice in the same way it does in any hub. The international and established fee-paying schools cluster on the south side of the city and in the southern suburbs, which are also the more expensive residential districts. Commute and catchment should be a primary input to where a family chooses to live, and our Dublin city guide sets out the neighbourhood and transport picture in detail. Treat any single fee figure here as a band rather than a quotation; schools publish their own current fees and these move year to year.
Get a free Ireland school shortlist
Our school finder returns a ranked shortlist of schools matched to your child's year group, location and budget, covering the Dublin international cluster and the Irish fee-paying alternatives.
Cork, Galway and the rest of the country
Outside Dublin, the dedicated international school market thins out sharply. Cork, Galway and Limerick each have strong Irish state and private schools, but families looking for an IB or foreign-curriculum school in those cities will find limited or no dedicated provision and should plan around the Irish curriculum instead. This is the single most important planning point for a family considering a posting outside the capital: the international school you assume exists may simply not be there.
For most families relocating to the regional cities, the practical answer is an English-medium Irish school leading to the Leaving Certificate, supplemented where needed by the IB option in Dublin for older children whose families are willing to consider boarding or a Dublin base. Because the Leaving Certificate is well regarded by universities worldwide, this is a less compromising outcome than it sounds, and we cover the qualification's recognition in the university section below.
Families who specifically need continuity in a non-Irish curriculum, for example a child mid-way through the IB or a national system that does not map onto the Leaving Certificate, should treat Dublin as the default location and confirm a school place before committing to a regional posting. Our reviews hub and the Dublin city guide are the right starting points for that confirmation.
Fees at a glance
The fee picture in Ireland is unusually wide because the routes themselves are so different. At one end the state system is free; at the other a senior IB Diploma place at a premium Dublin school reaches the low twenties of thousands of euros. Use the fee comparison tool for a like-for-like view across schools and the cost calculator for the multi-year all-in projection including housing.
| Route | Example schools | 2026 annual fees (EUR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated international (IB) | Nord Anglia International School Dublin | 12,000 to 20,000 | Rises towards low twenties at senior IB |
| Fee-paying Irish with IB option | St Andrew's College | 8,000 to 16,000 | Leaving Certificate or IB Diploma |
| Foreign-community schools | St Kilian's Deutsche Schule, Lycee Francais d'Irlande | 5,000 to 12,000 | German or French bilingual programmes |
| Irish fee-paying private | Various Dublin and regional private schools | 5,000 to 9,000 | Irish curriculum, international outlook |
| Irish state system | National and voluntary secondary schools | Free | Leaving Certificate, English medium |
The figures above are bands rather than published quotations and should be confirmed with each school. Capital and registration charges, transport, lunch and trips typically add a further 10 to 20 per cent at the fee-paying schools.
The Irish state route
The most distinctive feature of schooling in Ireland is that the free state route is a serious option for international families, not a fallback. Irish national primary schools and voluntary secondary schools teach in English, are open to resident children and lead to the Leaving Certificate, a qualification well recognised by universities in Ireland, the UK and beyond. Many established expat families with younger children, and most families planning a long-term stay, use this route and reserve the fee-paying international schools for specific needs.
There are trade-offs. State school admissions can be competitive in the popular Dublin catchments, and places are allocated by enrolment policies that often favour local residence and sibling links, so the choice of neighbourhood and the timing of an application matter. The curriculum is Irish rather than internationally standardised, which suits a settling family better than a highly mobile one. For a child likely to move country again mid-schooling, the IB route holds its portability advantage, and our curriculum comparisons set out that trade-off in full.
Admissions reality
Admissions at the dedicated international schools follow the familiar international template: recent school reports, references from the current school, an age-appropriate assessment and a family conversation. The dedicated international schools in Dublin can carry waiting lists at the most popular entry points, so early application is wise, particularly for the primary years and the start of secondary. Mid-year entry is often possible where capacity exists.
State and Irish private school admissions run on a different logic. Enrolment policies, published by each school, set out the order in which places are offered, frequently giving weight to residence in the catchment, sibling attendance and feeder-school links. Families targeting a specific state or private school should read that school's enrolment policy before fixing on a neighbourhood, and should apply as early as the policy allows. The Irish academic year runs from late August or early September to late May or June, and the application cycle for popular schools can open more than a year ahead.
Things to know before you commit
First, confirm the school exists before you confirm the city. The single biggest planning error in Ireland is assuming a dedicated international school will be available outside Dublin. For most of the country it will not, and the practical alternative is the Irish curriculum.
Second, weigh the free state route honestly. Because it teaches in English and leads to a respected qualification, the Irish state system removes the financial pressure that drives school choice in most other markets. For a settling family it is often the right answer, not a compromise.
Third, plan around catchment and commute. The Dublin international and fee-paying schools cluster on the south side, and the popular state schools allocate places partly by residence, so housing choice and school choice are tightly linked. Read the Dublin city guide before fixing on an area.
Fourth, treat curriculum continuity as the deciding factor for a mobile family. If your child is mid-way through the IB or another portable system, the Dublin IB schools are the route that preserves continuity; the Leaving Certificate is the better fit for a family settling for the longer term.
University destinations
Both the main Irish pathways lead to strong onward outcomes. The IB Diploma is recognised by universities worldwide and travels cleanly between countries, which is its central advantage for internationally mobile families. The Irish Leaving Certificate is recognised for entry to Irish universities, is accepted by UK universities through the standard conversion, and is increasingly familiar to admissions offices further afield, so a child educated through the Irish state route is not closing doors by doing so.
Ireland's own universities, including Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, are well regarded internationally and teach in English, which makes staying in Ireland for higher education a realistic and comparatively affordable option for a family that settles. For families weighing the IB against the local route, the choice is less about university access, which both routes provide, and more about portability and the kind of school culture the family wants. Our curriculum comparison hub works through that decision in detail.
FAQ
How much do international schools cost in Ireland? Dedicated international schools in Dublin run from roughly 12,000 to 20,000 euros per year for the main year groups, rising towards the low to mid twenties for senior IB Diploma places at the premium end. Fee-paying Irish private schools sit lower, often 6,000 to 9,000 euros, and the Irish state system is free.
Is Ireland a good country for international school families? For most English-speaking families, yes. Ireland teaches in English, has a respected free state system and a small but credible set of fee-paying and IB schools in Dublin. The dedicated international segment is narrower than in larger European hubs, so families who need a specific foreign curriculum should check availability early.
Which international schools in Ireland offer the IB? The IB footprint is concentrated in Dublin. Nord Anglia International School Dublin runs the full IB continuum, and St Andrew's College in Booterstown offers the IB Diploma alongside the Irish Leaving Certificate. A handful of primary schools offer the IB Primary Years Programme.
Can my child attend an Irish state school instead? Yes. Irish national and voluntary secondary schools are free, taught in English and open to resident children. Many established expat families use the state route, which leads to the Leaving Certificate, and reserve the fee-paying international schools for families who need the IB or a home-country curriculum.