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St Columba's College

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2 Ballyphilip Road, Portaferry, BT22 1RB

Non-selective · Mixed · Catholic maintained

Pupils
170
Year 8
40
Council
Ards and North Down

Your chances

against these criteria.

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

  1. Students whose normal residence is within the parishes of Ardkeen, Ballyphilip and Ballygalget.
  2. Students transferring from St Mary's Primary School, Portaferry, St Mary's Primary School, Kircubbin, or St Patrick's Primary School, Ballygalget.
  3. Students with a child of the family currently enrolled at the school.
  4. Students transferring from another traditional contributory primary school (Strangford/Kilclief, Ardglass/Dunsford).
  5. Other students whose normal residence is closest to the area prescribed in criterion 1.
  6. Other students whose primary school is closest to the area prescribed in criterion 1.
  7. Tie-breaker: random selection of surname initial letters in a published order that changes each year.

Uses a parish list: check it in the criteria.

The school's criteria

Getting in

Usually has spare places

Everyone who put it first was offered a place in 2026/27 (15 children).

Applications per place (all preferences): 0.1 in 2024/25, 0.2 in 2025/26, 0.2 in 2026/27.

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/25104101011
2025/26104222125
2026/27104152017

In 2026/27, 15 of the 15 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
35.9%
Special educational needs
70 pupils (33 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
No
Area
Rural

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 4.7%, Catholic 80%, other or none 15.3%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
66.7%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
100%
3+ A-levels A* to C
none
2+ A-levels A* to E
none
Year 12 pupils counted
27
A-level pupils counted
0

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

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 104 (whole school: 520)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/241043838
2024/251042020
2025/261044040

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 4230067

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