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:
1. Friends’ School Lisburn
In the top spot this year was this Quaker-affiliated grammar school in Lisburn - rising up from second place last year. It is a selective school, meaning students may have to pass an exam or meet other criteria to secure a place. This year 85.1% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 75.5% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
2. Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
Next up is Aquinas, a selective Catholic grammar school in Belfast. This year 86.1% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 72.4% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
3. Strathearn School
Sharing second place with an equal score to the Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, according to the Times, is Strathearn, a selective girls’ grammar school in Belfast. This year 85.8% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 73% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google
4. Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock
Our Lady and St Patrick’s is a Catholic grammar school in Knock, East Belfast. It too is selective, meaning students may have to pass an exam to secure a place. This year 84.7% of A Levels sat by its students achieved A* to B grades, while 69.8% of GCSEs sat passed with A* or A equivalents (scores of 7, 8 or 9 in England’s numerical system). | Google