Ballymakenny College
Drogheda, Louth
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 998 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 489 girls, 509 boys
- Ethos
- Multi Denominational
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 91573N the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Ballymakenny College is a co-educational, multi-denominational post-primary school in Drogheda, County Louth. Enrolment is approximately 998 students. The school offers the Junior Cycle, Level 2 Learning Programme, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Programme and Leaving Certificate Applied. Junior Cycle students study core subjects including English, Irish, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, a Modern Foreign Language, SPHE, CSPE and Ethical Education. First year students complete a taster option of six subjects before selecting two to continue. The school has a house system, a student council and a student support team. It also provides learning support and an academic tracking system called Athena. Extracurricular activities include sporting, cultural and social programmes.
History
The school was established in 2014. It began with 63 students and 9 staff members, growing to over 1000 students and a staff exceeding 90 members. The school initially operated from a temporary location in Aston Village before moving to a new facility on the Ballymakenny Road.
Applying to Ballymakenny College
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide post-primary school dates apply broadly to Ballymakenny College. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (primary schools: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about Ballymakenny College
How many pupils attend Ballymakenny College?
Ballymakenny College has 998 pupils enrolled, 489 girls and 509 boys. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is Ballymakenny College a DEIS school?
No. Ballymakenny College is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of Ballymakenny College?
Ballymakenny College has a Multi Denominational ethos. It is a mixed post-primary school.