St Paul's High School
St Paul's High School is a catholic maintained school in Bessbrook for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has 1,805 pupils. About 25 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in Northern Ireland. In 2025, 77% of Year 12 pupils got five good GCSEs including English and maths (non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland: 60%).
108 Camlough Road, Bessbrook, BT35 7EEAll 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
253 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.
A level results, summer 2025
139 pupils in the final year of A level or equivalent courses.
All measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | NI non-grammar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 12 pupils | 253 | 268 | 229 | 212 | 209 | 202 | – |
| Entered for five or more GCSEsEntered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) | 100% | 99% | 100% | – | – | – | 99% |
| Five good GCSEs5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent) | 93% | 92% | 96% | 82% | 85% | 73% | 85% |
| Five good GCSEs including English and maths5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths | 77% | 79% | 85% | 69% | 74% | 57% | 60% |
| Year 14 pupils | 139 | 134 | 158 | 117 | – | – | – |
| Three good A levels3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent) | 86% | 73% | 73% | 54% | 54% | 65% | 57% |
| Two A levels passed2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent) | 99% | 99% | 99% | 95% | 98% | 99% | 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.
Attendance
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.7% 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.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady's Grammar School | Grammar | 2.0 miles | 923 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
| St Colman's College - Newry | Grammar | 2.1 miles | 905 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
| St Joseph's Boys' High School | Catholic maintained | 2.1 miles | 405 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
| Abbey Christian Brothers Grammar | Grammar | 2.4 miles | 932 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
| Newry High School | Controlled | 2.4 miles | 434 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
| Sacred Heart Grammar School | Grammar | 2.6 miles | 873 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
| St Mary's High School | Catholic maintained | 2.8 miles | 578 | ETI, no open data | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is St Paul's High School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score St Paul's High School yet. Northern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades.
How good are St Paul's High School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 77% 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. 86% of Year 14 pupils got three A levels at A* to C.
How many pupils does St Paul's High School have?
1,805 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in October 2025.
Does St Paul'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
- 108 Camlough Road, Bessbrook, BT35 7EE
- 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
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Ward
- Camlough
- Setting
- Rural
- DE reference
- 5230157 · LAESTAB 5230157
Where these figures come from
- School details, enrolment, free school meals, special needs and newcomers: Department of Education (Northern Ireland) school-level enrolment data, October census (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Attendance: Department of Education school-level attendance tables.
- Results: Department of Education, Year 12 and Year 14 examination performance at post-primary schools (SAER), via OpenDataNI.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.