Top 10 Secondary Schools in Limerick
The Sunday Times produced a massive list of the top 400 secondary schools in the country. The rankings for each school was based on a number of criteria, including the percentage of those students who went on to university, or on to other third level institutions, as well as the student teacher ratio.
Here are the top ten of those schools from Limerick from the list.
- Glenstal Abbey, Morroe,:This fee-paying Benedictine school has a population of 221 boys. It is a seven day a week boarding school and while there are classes on Saturdays, students get longer holidays. According to the survey, 100 percent of students made it to third level, with 90.9 percent of that going to University.
- Laurel Hill Colaiste, South Circular Road, Limerick City, When the school was founded by the Faithful Companions of Jesus, it had a student population of just 30. Today, the non-fee paying all girls school has a population of 401. 83.3 percont of students have gone on to university, and in total, 89.4 percent have went on to third level according to the Sunday Times survey. It is the Gaelscoil which ranked at number 2. The non-Irish language school is further down this list.
- Castletroy College, Newtown, The highest ranking mixed school in Limerick, Castletroy had a population of 1,047 students according to the survey. 78.6 went on to university and 87.6 went on to third-level.
- Ardscoil Ris, North Circular Road, Limerick City, This all-boys school opened in 1963 and currently has a student body of 694. While the shool has a lower percentage when it comes to University entries, it scored higher than Castletroy when it comes to overall third level entries at 92.4 percent.
- St. Ita’s College, Abbeyfeale, Boasting a former Minister for Foreign Affairs in it’s list of past pupils, the school with a sudent population of 171 can also bost third-level acceptance of over 92 percent. two thirds of these went to university.
- Scoil Mhuire agus Ide, Newcastle West, 83.1 percent of students who sat the Leaving at this school went on to third level, of those, over 75 percent went to University. The Sunday Times survey reports a student population of 191. Scoil Mhuire agus Ide is a mixed, non-fee paying school.
- Crescent Comprehensive College, Dooradoyle. This school has a long and distinguished alumni, which includes names such as BBC prsenter, Terry Wogan and actor Richard Harris, as well as judges, artists, and government ministers. Founded by the Jesuit order in 1859, the school now has 866 boys and girls. 86.9 percent of students went on to third level, two-thirds of these took up university places.
- Laurel Hill Secondary School, South Circular Road. The non-Irish language school has an all-girl student population of 565. 89.7 percent of graduates went on to third level, just under two thirds of these took up university places.
- St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Abbeyfeale. This all-girl school had a student population of 383 last year. 79.3 percent of graduates went on to third level. of these, almost three quarters went took up university places.
- St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Doon. The school was opened in 1868, however, the Sisters of Mercy had begun teaching in the convent garden the previous year. Now, the school has 368 girls. Two-thirds of last year’s graduates went on to third level.
The lowest ranking of the ten, St. joseph’s in Doon, ranked at 166 out of 400, The schools which were ranked lower than this on the list is interesting, those of note are:
Hazelwood College, Dromcollogher, at 181, up from 310 the previous year
Villiers Secondary School, north Circular Road, at 184, up from 207
Colaiste Mhuire, Askeaton at 194, up from 222
John the Baptist Community School at 255, up from 332
Scoil Pol, Kilfinane, at 256 down from 54
St. Munchin’s College, 262 down from 75
Scoil Carmel, o’Connell Avenue, at 321 down from 137
Ardscoil Mhuire, Corbally at 359 down from 268
Colaiste Iosef, kilmallock at 396. This school does not have a rank for the previous year.