School Chooser

Castle Tower School

Special · ages 3-19MixedControlled398 pupilsBallymenaMid and East Antrim
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 needs100%NI 100%
Attendance88.0%NI 87.0%
Pupils from low-income families49%Far more than most schools
Pupils on roll398Census October 2025

Castle Tower School is a controlled school in Ballymena for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 398 pupils. About 48 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in Northern Ireland.

14 St Patricks Link, Ballymena, BT43 7FTAll 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.

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 roll398Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals49%193 pupils; NI 54%
Pupils with special educational needs100%398 with a statement; NI 100%
Catholic pupils29%as recorded in the school census; NI 39%
Boys and girls289 / 109

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.0% of the time. Across similar schools in Northern Ireland it was 87.0%. Northern Ireland doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on suspensions, for individual schools.

Attendance88.0%
Northern Ireland 87.0%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission6.7%of school time; NI 5.0%

Nearby schools

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

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ballymena Integrated Nursery SchoolIntegrated0 m104ETI, no open dataCompare
Harryville Primary SchoolControlled400 m222ETI, no open dataCompare
Ballykeel Primary SchoolControlled700 m415ETI, no open dataCompare
Slemish Integrated CollegeIntegrated0.6 miles1,076ETI, no open dataCompare
St Louis' GrammarGrammar0.7 miles1,200ETI, no open dataCompare
St Brigid's Primary SchoolCatholic maintained0.8 miles362ETI, no open dataCompare
St Colmcilles Primary SchoolCatholic maintained0.8 miles423ETI, no open dataCompare
Camphill Primary SchoolControlled0.9 miles383ETI, no open dataCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Castle Tower School a good school?

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

How many pupils does Castle Tower School have?

398 pupils aged 3 to 19 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
14 St Patricks Link, Ballymena, BT43 7FT
Type of school
Controlled school (Controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Mid and East Antrim
Ward
Castle Demesne
Setting
Urban
DE reference
3316676 · LAESTAB 3316676

Where these figures come from