School Chooser

Donard School

Special · ages 3-19MixedControlled149 pupilsBanbridgeArmagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
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%
Attendance87.9%NI 87.0%
Pupils from low-income families45%Far more than most schools
Pupils on roll149Census October 2025

Donard School is a controlled school in Banbridge for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 149 pupils. About 45 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in Northern Ireland.

22A Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, BT32 4XYAll 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 roll149Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals45%67 pupils; NI 54%
Pupils with special educational needs100%149 with a statement; NI 100%
Catholic pupils38%as recorded in the school census; NI 39%
Boys and girls108 / 41

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 87.9% 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.

Attendance87.9%
Northern Ireland 87.0%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission3.7%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
Banbridge Nursery SchoolControlled770 m53ETI, no open dataCompare
Edenderry Primary SchoolControlled770 m398ETI, no open dataCompare
Abercorn Primary SchoolControlled810 m262ETI, no open dataCompare
St Mary's Primary SchoolCatholic maintained860 m501ETI, no open dataCompare
Banbridge High SchoolControlled950 m757ETI, no open dataCompare
Banbridge AcademyGrammar0.6 miles1,349ETI, no open dataCompare
Downshire Integrated Nursery SchoolIntegrated0.7 miles56ETI, no open dataCompare
Bridge Integrated Primary SchoolIntegrated0.7 miles396ETI, no open dataCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Donard School a good school?

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

How many pupils does Donard School have?

149 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
22A Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, BT32 4XY
Type of school
Controlled school (Controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
Ward
Banbridge East
Setting
Urban
DE reference
5316520 · LAESTAB 5316520

Where these figures come from