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:
17. Ballyclare High School
This is a selective grammar school in Ballyclare, County Antrim. It is mixed gender and non-denominational. This year 74.4% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 47.9% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
18. The Royal School, Dungannon
This is a broadly Christian grammar school, in Dungannon, County Tyrone, with a strong boarding community. This year 74.3% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 48% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
19. Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
Previously known as Portora Royal School, this is a selective grammar school in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. This year 73.8% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 45.7% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
20. Methodist College Belfast
Rounding out the top 20 is a school known locally as Methody - a selective grammar school in Belfast. Although it was founded by the Methodist church, it is now interdenominational. Last year 67.9% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 54.4% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google