© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Drawing on questionnaire (n = 697) and focus group (n = 18) data from 18 publicly managed schools in Ireland, the current study explores the views of second-year students towards their participation in school life. Questionnaire results indicate that students, in general, showed a strong level of agreement towards their participation in aspects of school life. Subsequent focus groups highlighted the passive role students tend to play in classroom and school life and the minimum power they exert within schools. Between school differences emerged. Teacher¿student relationship was an important difference between schools and is presented as a possible starting point for enhancing levels of student participation in school life in publicly managed schools in Ireland.