Cullens N S
Cullens N S is a primary school in Mayo. 273 pupils, Catholic ethos, 2 special classes, 1.24 applicants per place last year, DEIS Rural.
The facts
| Type | Primary school |
|---|---|
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ethos | Catholic |
| Patron | Bishop of Killala |
| Fees | Free |
| Enrolment | 273 (135 boys, 138 girls) 2025/26 |
| Language of instruction | English Medium School |
| DEIS | Yes — Rural |
| Roll number | 07054L |
| Eircode | F26TF97 |
| Address | Faranoo, Ballina, Co. Mayo |
Getting in
Competitive. 52 applications for 42 places — 1.24 applicants per place, and 10 names went on the waiting list.
| Places in the coming year | 35 |
|---|---|
| Places last year | 42 |
| Applications last year | 52 |
| Waiting list | 10 |
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 Rural. This is the rural strand: extra literacy and numeracy support, School Completion Programme access and enhanced capitation. It does not carry reduced class sizes.
Added to DEIS in the 2022 expansion, so its supports are relatively recent.
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
2 special classes sanctioned for 26/27:
- 2 × 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: Ballina. 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 F26 (Ballina) was €200,000 in 2025. That is up 60.7% since 2020. CSO figures for the whole district, not the streets beside the school.
Area profile: the Pobal HP Deprivation Index rates Ballina Rural at -4.06 (Marginally Below Average), where 0 is the national average. 35% of adults there hold a third-level qualification.
Contact
| Principal | Sinead Caffrey |
|---|---|
| Phone | 09622084 |
| info@culleensballina.ie | |
| Local authority | Mayo County Council |
Other schools in Ballina
- Ardagh National School Primary school, Mayo
- Beheymore N S Primary school, Mayo
- Bunscoil Naomh Bríd Agus Pádraíg Primary school, Mayo
- Cloghans N S Primary school, Mayo
- Cooneal N.S. Primary school, Mayo
- Gaelscoil Na Gceithre Maol Primary school, Mayo
- Garracloon N S Primary school, Mayo
- Knockanillo N S Primary school, Mayo
- Moyne College Secondary school, Mayo
- Newtownwhite Educate Together Ns Primary school, Mayo
- Quignamanger N S Primary school, Mayo
- S N Naomh Padraig Primary school, Mayo
How we know
DoE Schools GIS 2026 (CC BY 4.0) — checked 2026-08-27.