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St Columbanus' College

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Ballymaconnell Road, Bangor, BT20 5PU

Non-selective · Mixed · Catholic maintained

Pupils
805
Year 8
124
Council
Ards and North Down

Open events

Your chances

against these criteria.

How it chooses when it has more applicants than places, in order:

  1. Pupils from the listed Catholic Maintained Feeder Primary Schools (eight named Bangor, Ards and Down schools).
  2. Pupils from any other Catholic Maintained Primary School in Northern Ireland.
  3. All other pupils transferring to post-primary education.
  4. Applicants who at time of application are siblings of present pupils enrolled in the College (sub-priority i).
  5. Only child, or eldest eligible child applying to mainstream post-primary (sub-priority ii).
  6. Final placement by walking distance from home to the College, measured using maps (sub-priority iii).
  7. Lottery draw among remaining applicants where distances are identical (sub-priority iv).

The school's criteria

Getting in

13 of the 114 children who put it first were not offered a place in 2026/27.

For September 2026 entry, 135 applications were considered for 115 places. Places ran out at criterion 3 and ii.: Other transferring pupils who were only or eldest eligible children; sub-criterion iii then selected by walking distance. EA statement

Applications per place (all preferences): 1 in 2024/25, 1 in 2025/26, 1.2 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 63%, got 60.2% (5+ GCSEs A* to C with English and maths, 2024/25).

0%50%100%0%40%80%Pupils on free school meals
Each dot is a non-selective school with 30 or more Year 12 pupils. The dashed line is what schools usually get at each free school meals level.

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/25125109171125
2025/2611595147115
2026/27115114163115

In 2026/27, 101 of the 114 children who put it first got a place here.

Each child counts once, at the preference their family gave this school. Figures at the end of the admissions procedure, from the Education Authority's analysis of preferences.

Pupils (October 2025)

Free school meals
27%
Special educational needs
266 pupils (69 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
Yes
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 23.1%, Catholic 38.9%, other or none 38%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
60.2%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
80.5%
3+ A-levels A* to C
43.1%
2+ A-levels A* to E
96.6%
Year 12 pupils counted
118
A-level pupils counted
58

Source: Department of Education, SAER 2024/25, Open Government Licence.

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 115 (whole school: 750)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/24125171125
2024/25125127125
2025/26115120124

Applications count every family that named the school at any preference, not only first preferences.

School's note: *The Total Admissions for year 2025/2026 includes all Year 8 children admitted to the school including those who have a statement of special educational needs and/or may be attending SPiMS. (SPiMS = Specialist Provision in Mainstream School)

Does not use transfer test results in its admissions criteria.

Sources

DENI reference 4230107

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