St Josephs C.B.S.
St Josephs C.B.S. is a secondary school in Dublin. 310 pupils, Catholic ethos, 4 special classes, 1.88 applicants per place last year, DEIS Post-primary.
The facts
| Type | Secondary school |
|---|---|
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ethos | Catholic |
| Patron | Edmund Rice Schools Trust |
| Fees | Free |
| Enrolment | 310 (238 boys, 72 girls) 2025/26 |
| Language of instruction | English Medium School |
| DEIS | Yes — Post-primary |
| Roll number | 60390F |
| Eircode | D03H524 |
| Address | Merville Ave, Fairview, Dublin 3 |
Getting in
Hard. 135 applications for 72 places — 1.88 applicants per place, and 68 names went on the waiting list.
| Places in the coming year | 48 |
|---|---|
| Places last year | 72 |
| Applications last year | 135 |
| Waiting list | 68 |
| Applications open | 01 October 2025 |
| Applications close | 01 November 2025 |
Ratio calculated against the previous year's places, as stated in the notice.
read from the school's Annual Admission Notice.
Read the school's Annual Admission Notice ↗ (2026/27)
Ireland has no catchment areas. A place depends on the school's own oversubscription criteria — siblings, feeder school, parish, distance, date of application — not on where you live. Read the admissions policy for those.
What DEIS means here
DEIS Post-primary. This is extra staffing, a Home School Community Liaison coordinator, School Completion Programme access, enhanced capitation, free State exam fees, and eligibility for the HEAR Scheme for reduced-points college entry.
Post-primary DEIS benefits: Free State examination fees for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate, Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) coordinator, School Completion Programme, and eligibility for the HEAR Scheme (Higher Education Access Route) offering reserved university places at reduced CAO points across Irish universities.
Worth knowing: several things people associate with DEIS are now available in every school. Schoolbooks are free at primary and post-primary regardless of DEIS status, and since 2025 all primary schools are eligible for the hot school meals programme. What remains specific to DEIS is the staffing — reduced class sizes in Urban Band 1, the Home School Community Liaison coordinator, School Completion Programme access and enhanced capitation.
Band as published in the Department's DEIS list, last revised 2022-10-12.
Special classes
4 special classes sanctioned for 26/27:
- 4 × Autism/Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Source: National Council for Special Education. Children in a special class travel under a separate transport scheme with its own rules.
The area around this school
School planning area: Drumcondra / Marino / Dublin1. This is how the Department plans where to build capacity. It is not a catchment.
Local house prices: the median residential sale price in Eircode district D03 (Dublin 3) was €550,000 in 2025. That is up 31.0% since 2020. CSO figures for the whole district, not the streets beside the school.
Area profile: the Pobal HP Deprivation Index rates Clontarf West D at 10.33 (Affluent), where 0 is the national average. 59% of adults there hold a third-level qualification.
Contact
| Principal | Ciara McDonnell |
|---|---|
| Phone | 018339779 |
| info@stjosephsfairview.ie | |
| Local authority | Dublin City Council |
Other schools in Drumcondra / Marino / Dublin1
- An Taonad Reamhscoile Special school, BAILE ATHA CLIATH 1
- Belvedere College S.J Secondary school, Dublin
- Central Infs School Primary school, Dublin
- Central Senior Mxd N S Primary school, Dublin
- Corpus Christi N S Primary school, Dublin
- Dominican College Secondary school, Dublin
- Drumcondra N S Primary school, Dublin
- Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire Primary school, Dublin
- Gaelscoil Áine Primary school, Dublin
- Gardiner Street Convent Primary school, Dublin
- Grace Park Educate Together National School Primary school, Dublin
- Henrietta Street School Special school, Dublin 1
How we know
DoE Schools GIS 2026 (CC BY 4.0) — checked 2026-08-27.