The Sunday Times published it’s annual ‘Schools Guide’ last weekend. The guide lists the top 400 secondary schools in Ireland ranked by the average proportion of pupils gaining places in autumn 2012, 2013 and 2014 at the main universities, teacher training colleges, Royal College of Surgeons and NCAD.

According to Kate Butler who compiled the data, “”when it comes to progression to university, Munster schools are punching well above their weight: the southern province has 39 schools in the top 100, compared with Leinster’s 43.” Butler also notes that “Laurel Hill’s two-year lead of the table is remarkable in that it is the first girls school to take the lead since 2008” its neighbour, boys’ boarding school Glenstal Abbey in Limerick and Gonzaga College in Dublin 6 have shared the honours over the past years years”

Ghaelcholaisti also continue to perform well. There are just 42 gaelcholaisti in the republic with 29 of them in the top 400 list. Butler points out that this means that “while they represent just 5% of the 722 second-level schools in the country, they take up 7% of the top 400, 18% of the top 50 and 30% of the top ten”

Details of the Top 20 schoools regionally as set out in the Sunday Times report can be viewed here. Progression data to third level colleges for every secondary school over the last five years can be viewed on Schooldays.ie by visiting individual school pages on Schooldays.ie – 2015 data will be available later in the autumn.

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