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:
13. Carrickfergus Grammar School
This is a selective grammar school in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. This year 76.2% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 51.6% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
14. Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt
Rainey is another selective grammar school in Magherafelt, County Derry. This year 69.9% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 63.8% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
15. Omagh Academy
Yet another selective grammar school, this one is in Omagh, County Tyrone. This year 73.4% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 54.8% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
16. Dalriada School
Dalriada is a selective grammar school in Ballymoney, County Antrim. This year 70.4% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 59.4% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google