School Chooser

St Nicholas' Primary School, Downpatrick

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCatholic maintainedRoman Catholic148 pupilsNewry, Mourne and 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 needs34%NI 20%
Attendance92.1%NI 94.0%
Pupils from low-income families45%Far more than most schools
Pupils on roll148Census October 2025

St Nicholas' Primary School, Downpatrick is a catholic maintained school in Ardglass for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 148 pupils. About 45 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in Northern Ireland.

21 Downpatrick Road, Ardglass, BT30 7SFAll 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 roll148Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals45%67 pupils; NI 26%
Pupils with special educational needs34%27 with a statement; NI 20%
Catholic pupils96%as recorded in the school census; NI 45%
Boys and girls76 / 72

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.1% 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.

Attendance92.1%
Northern Ireland 94.0%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission4.0%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
St Joseph's Primary SchoolCatholic maintained1.4 miles60ETI, no open data–Compare
St Mary's Primary School, Ardglass(DunsfordCatholic maintained2.7 miles76ETI, no open data–Compare
St Patrick's Primary School, LegamaddyCatholic maintained4.6 miles163ETI, no open data–Compare
St Malachy's Primary School, KilcliefCatholic maintained4.8 miles35ETI, no open data–Compare
Primary schools in Newry, Mourne and Down

Questions parents ask

Is St Nicholas' Primary School, Downpatrick a good school?

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

How many pupils does St Nicholas' Primary School, Downpatrick have?

148 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
21 Downpatrick Road, Ardglass, BT30 7SF
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
Newry, Mourne and Down
Ward
Lecale
Setting
Rural
DE reference
4036113 · LAESTAB 4036113
Official recordGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from