College progression rates for second level schools, which featured in The Irish Times Feeder Schools 2024 last December, have been updated after it emerged that University College Dublin and University College Cork supplied incorrect data.
The Irish Times Feeder Schools list, which provides a school-by-school guide of progression rates to third level, is based on data supplied by individual third level institutions.
While broad trends in college progression remain the same, there have been changes in the rank order of individual schools based on their college progression figures.
Coláiste Chiaráin in Leixlip, Co Kildare, now tops the feeder schools’ list for 2024 after sending the highest proportion of its students to higher education last year.
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It is followed by: Presentation College, Cork City; Coláiste Íosagáin, Co Dublin; Clochar Naomh Lughaidh, Co Monaghan; and Coláiste Eoin, Co Dublin.
A spokesman for UCD, Ireland’s largest university, said it inadvertently supplied school-of-origin data for 2022/23 instead of the 2023/24 school year.
“UCD sincerely apologises to all concerned for this error, which has now been corrected,” the spokesman said.
UCC also made a similar mistake, which it has since rectified.
“UCC would like to apologise for an administrative error which saw the university inadvertently submit schools of origin data from a previous reporting period to The Irish Times.”
The Irish Times has updated its feeder school data online and in the Feeder Schools supplement in the epaper edition of December 10th, 2024.
[ Feeder Schools 2024: How did your school and county perform?Opens in new window ]
Overall, some schools have recorded dramatic increases in the proportion of school-leavers progressing to university over the past five years.
For example, third-level progression rates at Ballinode Community College, Sligo, jumped by the highest amount of any school between 2018 and 2024 (up 70 per cent).
It is followed by Ardscoil Phádraig, Co Longford (51 per cent), Holy Child Community School, Sallynoggin, Co Dublin (49 per cent) and Adamstown Vocational College, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford (44 per cent).
Overall, the data show the number of school-leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds progressing to college has climbed towards record levels.
About 80 per cent of school-leavers nationally went to third level in 2024. This figure includes students who deferred taking up a college place in previous years.
The proportion of college-going students from Deis schools – typically located in more economically deprived areas – climbed to just over 64 per cent.
This is up from 57 per cent in 2019 and matches a record high of 63-64 per cent last recorded during the Covid pandemic, when students from Deis schools benefited to a greater extent from predicted grades.
Among the likely factors behind the increase include the creation of additional college places, the growth of technological universities in regional areas and access initiatives aimed at forging closer links between Deis schools and third-level colleges.
Overall, fee-charging schools sent the highest proportion of school leavers to third level (96 per cent), followed by Gaelcholaistí (94 per cent), non-Deis schools (82 per cent) and Deis schools (64 per cent).
This year’s feeder school lists also show how the class gap in third-level participation persists, especially in Dublin postal districts.
For example, the most affluent parts of the capital, such as Dublin 6, which includes Ranelagh, recorded third-level progression rates among school leavers of 95 per cent.
This compares with college progression rates of 50 per cent in Dublin 10, which includes Ballyfermot, and 55 per cent in Dublin 11, which includes Finglas.
- The Feeder Schools supplement in the epaper edition for December 10th, 2024, has been updated to reflect the correct data. Mobile users with a saved version of the edition may need to delete the cached edition and refresh it to view the changes
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