Feeder schools 2022: How many students went to each college and why is this data useful?

Information published in today's Irish Examiner provides parents with information about the school of origin of third-level students

This data base is the only source of information for parents who want to know about the academic success of schools in their area.

Which students go to which colleges? The information published in the  Irish Examiner provides parents with information about the school of origin of third-level students in each of the 21 publicly-funded third-level institutions in Ireland, including UCC, Munster Technological University, UL and others.

In addition, this list indicates how many students from the Republic of Ireland went on to Northern Ireland’s two universities: Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University.

We are also publishing information on how many students attend the two largest fee-paying colleges in the State: Griffith College (which has campuses in Cork, Dublin and Limerick) and Dublin Business School.

Below you can find all the information about how many students attended which colleges, broken down by county and by school. 

Q&A: How was the list compiled and how is the data useful?

What can this list tell you?

This list includes all schools in the Republic of Ireland where more than ten pupils sat the Leaving Cert in 2022.

Where does this information come from?

It comes from two sources:

• The State Examinations Commission sits list, which records the number of students in each school that sat the Leaving Cert in 2022.
• A list of the school of origin of all full-time, first-year undergraduate students, provided by each of the 28 institutions listed here, who began their studies in this academic year 2022.

This is not simply an account of the Leaving Cert class of 2022. Instead, it includes information about how many students who ever attended a school in the Republic of Ireland started in an Irish third-level this year. As a result, approximately 22 per cent of the students on this list are mature students or students who deferred or repeated.

What’s not included on this list?

This list gives a partial picture. The following information is not available:

• How many students went on to further education (PLC courses) or apprenticeships
• Where students from “grind schools” — which are run without state support — went to college. These include Bruce College Cork, Hewitt College, the Institute of Education and others.
• How many students went to college in the UK or overseas.

Why can’t I find a particular school on this list?

For one of these reasons:

• It had less than ten students sitting the Leaving Cert in 2022 and, for data protection reasons,  the SEC does not provide this information.
• The school has closed.
• It introduced a mandatory Transition Year class in 2020 which means it had no Leaving Cert class in 2022.
• It amalgamated with other local schools. Where a student attended a school that has since amalgamated, we have credited that student to the new school.

How is this data useful?

As it stands, this data base is the only source of information for parents who want to know about the academic success of schools in their area. The Department of Education has better data on schools but has repeatedly declined to make that information available to the public.

What else should parents look out for?

Academic success — as measured solely by the number of students going on to third-level — is just one factor in a parent’s school choice. But there are other things that parents should look out, including:

• Learning and teaching: Does the school place an emphasis on the learning process, rather than just the learning outcomes? An ideal school encourages students to have a creative and inquisitive mind.
• School ethos: Does the school fit with your family’s values? What is the religious ethos? Can your child opt out of religious instruction and religious ceremonies if that’s your or their choice? What is their relationship and sexuality education (RSE) like? Are any outside agencies providing RSE – who are they and who are they linked to? Does the school run any initiatives to support LGBTIQ+ students?
• Extracurricular and pastoral support: What sports are on offer? Is there chess, debating,  drama, model United Nations or other extracurricular options? Is there access to guidance and counselling? Does the school make real efforts to listen to the voices of their students? A student council is well and good but a really good school makes sure that  their voice translates into school policy 

iv. School structure and subjects: Co-educational or mixed? Fee-paying or not? What subjects are offered? Is there a good discipline policy in place to prevent class disruptions? Are classes streamed (modern and progressive schools don’t stream by ability except by subject for honours and ordinary level)?

Where can I find this other information?

Attend open days. Check out the whole school evaluations on the Department of Education website: they can be a little vague but will give good insights. Talk to other parents; the local grapevine is powerful. Check the school website: is it up-to-date and transparent? Talk to the principal and the teachers: the principal has huge power in the Irish school system and the tone is set from the top, so note whether they’re open and approachable, or defensive and cagey.

Accuracy And Fairness

To ensure the greatest possible degree of accuracy and fairness, the Irish Examiner uses a standardised system to compile this list. There may be errors in some of the data provided by third-level institutions, but we are able to identify and correct the vast majority of these. However, there are a very small number of occasions where schools will record a slightly lower than accurate third-level progression.

The Irish Examiner regrets that it cannot enter into correspondence regarding the manner in which the data is compiled.