Voluntary secondary school

A voluntary secondary school (alternatively: secondary school) in Ireland is a type of secondary education school that is privately owned and managed, often by church authorities, especially in the case of the Roman Catholic religion. Like national schools they are funded to a large extent by the state, on a per capita basis, with the local community often topping up funding, whilst approximately 90% of teachers' salaries are met by the state.

The voluntary secondary schools are attended by about 60% of secondary education students and still form the largest part of the secondary school system. The schools are generally managed by a Board of Management or less often a patron or religious institute with a principal in general control of everyday business.

Some voluntary secondary schools are boarding schools, this is particularly so in the case of Protestant, many of which are Church of Ireland, as students cannot commute daily to such schools which are often located only in a few provincial towns. These schools generally receive additional grants to the normal per capita grant.

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