Ulster

Maths Grinds Cavan

Cavan has around eleven post-primary schools for a county of its size, with four of them in Cavan Town itself and the rest spread thinly through Bailieborough, Virginia, Cootehill and the smaller towns. Where a student lives decides a great deal about what help is available to them.

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Cavan Town students have genuine options. Saint Patrick's, Loreto, Breifne and the Royal School are all within reach of each other, and a small grinds culture exists around them. Outside the town it thins out fast, and a student in a one-school town is dependent on whichever teachers happen to live nearby.

Virginia is a particular case. It is close enough to the M3 that a lot of families commute toward Dublin, so evenings are short and an extra drive for an hour of tuition is the thing that gets dropped first. Online sessions survive a long commute in a way that in-person ones do not.

Being a border county also shapes the options. Some Cavan students look toward Enniskillen or Monaghan for services, but the exam is different across the border, and a tutor who knows the A-level system is not much use to someone sitting Leaving Cert Paper 1. The syllabus match matters more than the mileage.

What Cavan students are up against

These are national figures. The State Examinations Commission does not break results down by county, so nobody can honestly tell you how your county compares.

11%
got a H1 in Higher Level maths
Down from 12.6% in 2024, and well up on 6.4% in 2019
27.3%
got a H1 or H2
Of the 23,450 students who sat Higher Level maths in 2025
36.3%
of students now sit Higher Level
Up from 15.8% in 2011, a 130% rise since bonus points came in
25
bonus CAO points for Higher Level
Awarded for 40% or above. 22,183 students earned them in 2025

National figures, 2025 exam sitting. Sources: RTÉ, Leaving Cert 2025 results, RTÉ Brainstorm, 2025. The State Examinations Commission does not publish results by county.

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Students across Cavan

Online grinds mean the distance from Cavan Town to anywhere else stops mattering. Cavan has around 12 secondary schools, and students come from all over the county.

  • Cavan Town
  • Bailieborough
  • Virginia

Maths grinds in Cavan

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