One of the most common questions Irish parents ask. Here's a clear, honest comparison to help you choose the right school for your family.
Find schools near you →Ireland's school system is unusual by international standards. The vast majority of primary schools — around 89% — are under Catholic patronage, meaning they are managed by the local parish or diocese and operate with a Catholic ethos. This is a legacy of the historical role the Church played in establishing and funding education in Ireland.
Educate Together is a relative newcomer by comparison. The first Educate Together school opened in 1978 in Dalkey, Co. Dublin, founded by parents who wanted a multi-denominational alternative. There are now over 100 Educate Together primary schools and around 30 secondary schools across Ireland — still a small fraction of the total but growing rapidly.
For most of Irish history, Catholic school was simply the only option available. Today, particularly in urban areas, parents increasingly have a genuine choice — and many find the decision surprisingly difficult.
Catholic schools operate under a Catholic ethos, which means Catholic values and traditions are integrated throughout school life — not just in religion class. This includes prayers at the start and end of the day, Catholic ceremonies and celebrations (First Communion, Confirmation), religious imagery in classrooms and hallways, and an approach to moral education grounded in Catholic teaching.
In practice, the strength of the Catholic ethos varies enormously from school to school. Some Catholic schools are deeply religious in character; others are Catholic in name and structure but relatively secular in day-to-day life. A lot depends on the principal, the board of management and the local community.
Educate Together schools operate under a charter based on four principles: multi-denominational (welcoming children of all faiths and none), co-educational (always mixed), child-centred, and democratically run (parents have a strong voice in governance).
The ethos is explicitly equality-based — no one faith or belief system is privileged over another. Children learn about different religions and belief systems as part of their education, but no child is expected to participate in religious practice.
It's worth noting that many Catholic-school parents are not practising Catholics — they choose the local Catholic school simply because it's the most convenient option, not out of religious conviction. Equally, many Educate Together parents have strong religious beliefs — they simply prefer a school that treats all beliefs equally.
This is the area of greatest practical difference between the two school types.
Religious education in Catholic primary schools is called Religious Education (RE) and typically takes up about 2.5 hours per week. It follows the Grow in Love curriculum (which replaced Alive-O) and is explicitly Catholic in content — preparing children for the sacraments of First Communion (2nd class) and Confirmation (typically 6th class).
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from RE classes in Catholic schools, but in practice this can be awkward — particularly around the sacramental preparation period, which involves the whole school community.
Educate Together schools teach a subject called Learn Together, which covers ethics, belief and religion, equality and justice, and the environment. It is explicitly non-denominational — children learn about different world religions and belief systems without being asked to subscribe to any of them.
There is no sacramental preparation in Educate Together schools. Families who want their children to receive First Communion or Confirmation arrange this outside school, usually through the local parish.
For non-religious families: Educate Together is generally a more comfortable fit. For Catholic families: a Catholic school provides sacramental preparation as part of school life, which many families value for its social and community dimension even if they're not deeply devout.
Outside of religious education, the curriculum in Catholic and Educate Together schools is broadly the same — both follow the national primary or secondary curriculum set by the Department of Education. There is no significant difference in how maths, Irish, English, science or other subjects are taught.
Where differences do emerge is in the overall classroom culture and approach to values. Educate Together schools tend to place a strong emphasis on discussion, equality, democratic participation and respect for diversity. Catholic schools may approach topics in history, SPHE (social, personal and health education) and literature through a Catholic lens.
In practice, the quality of teaching varies far more between individual schools than between school types. A good Catholic school and a good Educate Together school will both provide an excellent education.
This is a critical practical difference. Under the Admissions to Schools Act 2018, Catholic schools can no longer use religion as an admissions criterion if they have available places. However, when a Catholic school is oversubscribed, it can still give priority to Catholic children — though this exception applies only to schools of a minority faith (in theory) and is subject to ongoing legal review.
In practice, most Catholic schools are not oversubscribed and admit all applicants regardless of religion. The religion issue mainly arises at popular urban schools where demand exceeds supply.
Educate Together schools cannot discriminate on any religious grounds and admit all children on a first-come, first-served or catchment basis. They are explicitly welcoming to children of all backgrounds.
If you're a non-Catholic family applying to an oversubscribed Catholic school, you may find your child is lower in the priority order than Catholic applicants. This is less common than it used to be but still occurs at some popular schools.
This is the biggest practical constraint for many families. Catholic schools are everywhere — in every town and village in Ireland. Educate Together schools are concentrated in urban areas, particularly Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
If you live in a rural area, an Educate Together school may simply not be available nearby. The network has been expanding rapidly but there are still large parts of the country — particularly in the west, midlands and border counties — where Educate Together is not a realistic option.
Use Schoolfinder.ie to filter by ethos and see which school types are available near your home.
| Catholic school | Educate Together | |
|---|---|---|
| Ethos | Catholic values integrated throughout school life | Multi-denominational, equality-based |
| Religious education | Catholic RE (~2.5 hrs/week), sacramental prep | Learn Together — covers all beliefs equally |
| First Communion / Confirmation | Prepared in school as part of the curriculum | Arranged outside school by families |
| Gender | Mixed or single-sex depending on school | Always co-educational |
| Admissions | May prioritise Catholics if oversubscribed | No religious discrimination — open to all |
| Availability | Nationwide — every town and village | Mainly urban — Dublin, Cork, Galway etc. |
| Core curriculum | National curriculum (same as ET) | National curriculum (same as Catholic) |
| Parental involvement | Varies by school | Strongly emphasised — democratic governance |
| Prayers / religious practice | Daily prayers, religious ceremonies | None — no religious practice expected |
There's no universally right answer — it depends on your family's values, beliefs and circumstances. Here are some questions worth thinking through:
Your family is Catholic and values sacramental preparation as part of school life. Or if there is no Educate Together school nearby and the local Catholic school has a good reputation. Or if you want your child to share the religious background of most of their classmates in your community.
You are not Catholic or are non-religious and would prefer your child not to receive Catholic religious education. Or if you value a strongly equality-based, multi-cultural school environment. Or if democratic parental involvement in school governance is important to you.
If you have both options available near you, visit both schools at their open days. The quality of the principal, the warmth of the school community and the standard of teaching will matter far more to your child's daily experience than the school's ethos on paper.
Tip: Use Schoolfinder.ie to find both Catholic and Educate Together schools near your home, filter by ethos, and view their inspection reports and admissions policies side by side.
Search by Eircode and filter by ethos to see Catholic, Educate Together and other school types near your home.
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