Northern Ireland’s highest-performing secondary schools of the most recent exam season have been named.
Each year, the Sunday Times creates a league table comparing the GCSE and A Level results of secondary schools across the UK, in what it dubs its ‘Parent Power Guide’. The new 2025 edition was released this month, shining a light on how Northern Ireland’s schools did in the 2023/24 school year - with selective grammar schools once again dominating the list, as they did in last year’s guide.
The guide ranks secondary schools on two different performance measures; the amount of A*, A and B grades earned out of the total number of A Levels sat by students, which is double-weighted, and the amount of A* and A grade equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system) out of the total number of GCSE exams sat - which is single-weighted to calculate the final score.
How this year’s pupils did in their exams certainly isn’t everything. When considering a prospective school for your child it’s also worth looking at how its performance has trended over time, as well as recent Education and Training Inspectorate reports, and the school’s policies, values, and even extracurriculars, to find the perfect fit.
Here are the 20 schools that came out on top this year:
9. Lumen Christi College
Down from first place last year, Lumen Christi is a mixed Catholic grammar school in Derry. It is selective, meaning students may have to pass an exam to secure a place. This year 80.7% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 66.8% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
10. Sullivan Upper School
Sullivan is a mixed gender and non-denominational selective grammar school in Holywood, County Down. This year 74.5% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 75.1% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
11. Ballymena Academy
This is a selective grammar school in Ballymena, County Antrim. This year 76.8% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 62% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
12. Belfast Royal Academy
Belfast’s oldest school, the academy is a selective grammar school. This year 75.8% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 57.8% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google