School Chooser

St James Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCatholic maintainedRoman Catholic275 pupilsNewtownabbeyAntrim and Newtownabbey
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 needs16%NI 20%
Attendance91.9%NI 94.0%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Pupils on roll275Census October 2025

St James Primary School is a catholic maintained school in Newtownabbey for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 275 pupils. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools.

17 Kings Walk, Newtownabbey, BT37 0ASAll 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.

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 roll275Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals22%61 pupils; NI 26%
Pupils with special educational needs16%17 with a statement; NI 20%
Newcomer pupils35%arrived with little English; NI 8%
Catholic pupils57%as recorded in the school census; NI 45%
Boys and girls129 / 146

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.9% 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.

Attendance91.9%
Northern Ireland 94.0%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission3.2%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
King's Park Primary SchoolControlled510 m271ETI, no open data–Compare
Whiteabbey Primary SchoolControlled840 m422ETI, no open data–Compare
Abbots Cross Primary SchoolControlled950 m288ETI, no open data–Compare
Hollybank Primary School, MonkstownControlled0.6 miles184ETI, no open data–Compare
Whitehouse Primary SchoolControlled1.1 miles437ETI, no open data–Compare
Rathcoole Primary SchoolControlled1.2 miles139ETI, no open data–Compare
Silverstream Primary School, GreenislandControlled1.8 miles137ETI, no open data–Compare
St MacNissi's Primary SchoolCatholic maintained1.8 miles180ETI, no open data–Compare
Primary schools in Antrim and NewtownabbeyPrimary schools in Newtownabbey

Questions parents ask

Is St James Primary School a good school?

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

How many pupils does St James Primary School have?

275 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
17 Kings Walk, Newtownabbey, BT37 0AS
Type of school
Catholic maintained school (Catholic Maintained school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Local authority
Antrim and Newtownabbey
Ward
Carnmoney Hill
Setting
Urban
DE reference
3036100 · LAESTAB 3036100
Official recordGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from