School Chooser

Ballyvester Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedControlled116 pupilsDonaghadeeArds and North Down
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredNorthern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades or progress figures, so we can't give its schools a score. Pupil numbers, free school meals, special needs and attendance are below.
Pupils with special needs15%NI 20%
Attendance95.0%NI 94.0%
Pupils from low-income families21%A bit fewer than most schools
Pupils on roll116Census October 2025

Ballyvester Primary School is a controlled school in Donaghadee for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 116 pupils. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools.

244 Killaughey Road, Donaghadee, BT21 0NFAll details

Inspection

Schools in Northern Ireland are inspected by the Education and Training Inspectorate. Since 2024 its reports end with a written summary and next steps instead of a grade, and there is no published list of outcomes.

Find this school's ETI reports

Results

Northern Ireland publishes no results for individual primary schools, so there are none to show. Enrolment, free school meals, special needs and attendance are below.

Getting a place

There is no entrance test. When more children apply than there are places, the school's published rules decide, usually brothers and sisters first, then parish or feeder links, then whoever lives closest.

Apply through the Education Authority's online admissions system in January.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll116Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals21%24 pupils; NI 26%
Pupils with special educational needs15%5 with a statement; NI 20%
Newcomer pupils0%arrived with little English; NI 8%
Catholic pupils6%as recorded in the school census; NI 45%
Boys and girls56 / 60

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in Northern Ireland it was 94.0%. Northern Ireland doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on suspensions, for individual schools.

Attendance95.0%
Northern Ireland 94.0%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission1.8%of school time; NI 2.5%

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Donaghadee Primary SchoolControlled1.4 miles420ETI, no open data–Compare
Millisle Primary SchoolControlled1.8 miles232ETI, no open data–Compare
Carrowdore Primary School, NewtownardsControlled3.3 miles151ETI, no open data–Compare
Ballymagee Primary SchoolControlled3.3 miles392ETI, no open data–Compare
Kilmaine Primary SchoolControlled3.5 miles642ETI, no open data–Compare
Towerview Primary SchoolControlled3.6 miles432ETI, no open data–Compare
Bloomfield Primary SchoolControlled4.0 miles397ETI, no open data–Compare
Ballyholme Primary SchoolControlled4.1 miles614ETI, no open data–Compare
Primary schools in Ards and North DownPrimary schools in Donaghadee

Questions parents ask

Is Ballyvester Primary School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Ballyvester Primary School yet. Northern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades.

How many pupils does Ballyvester Primary School have?

116 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in October 2025.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
244 Killaughey Road, Donaghadee, BT21 0NF
Type of school
Controlled school (Controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Ards and North Down
Ward
Loughries
Setting
Rural
DE reference
4011265 · LAESTAB 4011265
Official recordGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from