Parents get access to list of 'top schools'
Mr Dempsey said the ban on the publication of information allowing parents compare schools based on exam results was "an extreme measure".
However, he suggested additional information other than just league tables based on Leaving Certificate performance should be made available for the benefit of parents.
"We need to rethink how we publish information, because there's a question of the right of parents to know what's happening in schools, but not just from the point of view of exam results," he said.
The minister said the publication of any data about schools should be done in a fair and more balanced way.
Other topics that could be published could include the drop-out and completion rates of schools, details of students' social backgrounds and levels of attendance.
Mr Dempsey was speaking after discussions with his international counterparts at a conference he chaired at Dublin Castle as part of Ireland's EU presidency programme this week. Education ministers and their officials from member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) were at odds in their views on how much information about schools should be made public.
OECD education directorate chief Barry McGaw said some countries have a system which allows comparison of schools. But he said other countries remain concerned about the possible negative impact of such information being made public.
Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland president Pat Cahill said he would be opposed to the publication of any information about individual schools.
Teachers Union of Ireland general secretary Jim Dorney said it was unclear what the minister was suggesting might be published. "League tables on their own do not give a valid measure of schools' achievements and I think parents are well advised as it is about their local schools," he said.
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