A voluntary secondary school (alternatively: secondary school) in Ireland is a type of secondary education school in Ireland 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 have about 60% of secondary education students attending them 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 order 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 only located in a few provincial towns. These schools generally receive additional grants to the normal per capita grant.

See also

• Education in the Republic of Ireland