School Chooser

St Colm's High School

Secondary · ages 11-18Catholic maintainedRoman Catholic383 pupilsSixth formDraperstownMid Ulster
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredNorthern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades or progress figures, so we can't give its schools a score. GCSE and A level results, attendance, pupil numbers and free school meals are below.
Five good GCSEs incl. English and maths82%NI non-grammar schools 60%
Pupils with special needs25%NI 26%
Attendance94.3%NI 87.9%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
Pupils on roll383Census October 2025

St Colm's High School is a catholic maintained school in Draperstown for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has 383 pupils. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in Northern Ireland. In 2025, 82% of Year 12 pupils got five good GCSEs including English and maths (non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland: 60%).

2 Magherafelt Road, Draperstown, BT45 7AFAll 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

GCSE results, summer 2025

76 Year 12 pupils. We compare them with non-grammar post-primary schools across Northern Ireland, because grammar schools pick pupils by ability, so setting them against other schools wouldn't be fair.

Five good GCSEs including English and maths82%
Northern Ireland 60%
Official name: 5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths
Five good GCSEs90%
Northern Ireland 85%
Official name: 5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent)
Entered for five or more GCSEs100%
Northern Ireland 99%
Official name: Entered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent)
Trend
Five good GCSEs including English and maths
2017 to 2025
2017: 88%88%20172018: 62%62%20182019: 77%77%20192023: 86%86%20232024: 74%74%20242025: 82%82%2025
Since 2017: -6%

A level results, summer 2025

31 pupils in the final year of A level or equivalent courses.

Three good A levels68%
Northern Ireland 57%
Official name: 3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent)
Two A levels passed87%
Northern Ireland 97%
Official name: 2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent)
All measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NI non-grammar
Year 12 pupils767877627165
Entered for five or more GCSEsEntered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent)100%100%100%99%
Five good GCSEs5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent)90%90%92%82%78%92%85%
Five good GCSEs including English and maths5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths82%74%86%77%62%88%60%
Year 14 pupils31333437
Three good A levels3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent)68%61%56%68%66%88%57%
Two A levels passed2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent)87%97%97%97%100%100%97%

No results were published for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Figures include equivalent qualifications; a value is withheld when fewer than five pupils are involved.

Getting a place

No entrance test. When more children apply than there are places, the school's own rules decide who gets in. Usually that means brothers and sisters of current pupils first, then children from its feeder primaries, then whoever lives closest.

As a Catholic school it may put baptised Catholic children first.

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 roll383Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals14%54 pupils; NI 32%
Pupils with special educational needs25%38 with a statement; NI 26%
Newcomer pupils4%arrived with little English; NI 6%
Catholic pupils97%as recorded in the school census; NI 48%

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% of the time. Across similar schools in Northern Ireland it was 87.9%. Northern Ireland doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on suspensions, for individual schools.

Attendance94.3%
Northern Ireland 87.9%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission1.8%of school time; NI 5.8%

Nearby schools

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

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

No other schools of this phase within 8 km.

Questions parents ask

Is St Colm's High School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score St Colm's High School yet. Northern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades.

How good are St Colm's High School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 82% of Year 12 pupils got five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and maths, against 60% across non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland. 68% of Year 14 pupils got three A levels at A* to C.

How many pupils does St Colm's High School have?

383 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in October 2025.

Does St Colm's High School have a sixth form?

Yes.

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

Contact and details

Address
2 Magherafelt Road, Draperstown, BT45 7AF
Type of school
Catholic maintained school (Catholic Maintained school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Local authority
Mid Ulster
Ward
Draperstown
Setting
Rural
DE reference
3230132 · LAESTAB 3230132

Where these figures come from