Limerick’s Laurel Hill is Ireland’s top school
Meán Fómhair 1, 2014
Limerick’s Laurel Hill Colaiste FCJ is the first gaelcholaiste to be named the top secondary school in Ireland.
With an average of 88.7% of its pupils gaining university places over the last three years, the 400-pupil girls’ school on South Circular Road, Limerick, has overtaken boys’ boarding school Glenstal Abbey, in Murroe, Limerick, to gain the top place in the 2014 Sunday Times Guide to Ireland’s 400 best schools, published today (August 31).
Laurel Hill Colaiste FCJ is the first Irish-language school to head the annual Sunday Times Parent Power survey since the paper published its first league table in 2003. It is also the first non-fee-paying school at the top of the Sunday Times league table for 10 years, and is the first girls’ school to be named the best school in Ireland since 2009. Laurel Hill Colaiste FCJ has been the top school in Munster (excluding Cork) for four out of the past 11 years.
The Sunday Times Parent Power survey ranks the top 400 secondary schools on the average number of pupils gaining university places over the three years between 2011 and 2013. The Guide also reveals the figures for the total number of pupils entering all public sector third-level education from each school.
Glenstal Abbey, Limerick, now second in The Sunday Times School Guide, was the top school in Ireland in 2012 and 2013. It sent an average of 88.3% of its students to university between 2011 and 2013. The 200-pupil boys’ boarding school, which opened its doors to day students in 2012, was the top school in Munster (excluding Cork) for five out of the past eleven years.
THE SUNDAY TIMES SCHOOLS GUIDE
IRELAND’S TOP 25 SCHOOLS
Fee-paying school in bold, gaelcholáistí in italics
- Laurel Hill Colaiste FCJ, South Circular Rd, Limerick
- Glenstal Abbey, Murroe, Co Limerick
- Colaiste Iosagain, Booterstown, Co Dublin
- Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
- Mount Anville Secondary School, Goatstown, Dublin 14
- Alexandra College, Milltown, Dublin 6
- Presentation Brothers College, Mardyke, Cork
- Colaiste na Coiribe, Tuam Road, Galway
- Scoil Mhuire, Sydney Place, Cork
- Holy Child Secondary School, Killiney, Co Dublin
- Mount Mercy College, Model Farm Rd, Cork
- Colaiste Ide, Dingle, Co Kerry
- Colaiste an Phiarsaigh, Glanmire, Co Cork
- Loreto College, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
- Colaiste Ailigh, Letterkenny, Co Donegal
- Rathdown School, Glenageary, Co Dublin
- The Teresian School, Donnybrook, Dublin 4
- Christian Brothers College, Sidney Hill, Cork
- Castleknock College, Castleknock, Dublin 15
- Colaiste Eoin, Booterstown, Co Dublin
- Colaiste Iognaid SJ, Sea Rd, Galway
- Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Salthill, Galway
- Muckross Park College, Donnybrook, Dublin 4
- Colaiste Oiriall, Monaghan
- Loreto High School, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
