Best Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland in 2026

The best grammar school in Northern Ireland is Strathearn School in Belfast, ranked 31st among all state-funded secondary schools across the entire UK. It is followed by Rathmore Grammar School and St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls, both also in Belfast, then Friends' School Lisburn and Our Lady and St Patrick's College. There are around 66 grammar schools in Northern Ireland, making up roughly a third of the region's 190 post-primary schools and educating about 42 percent of all post-primary pupils. 

Northern Ireland's grammar school system works a little differently from England's, but the goal for every family is the same, finding the right school. Here is a clear, accurate guide to the best grammar schools in Northern Ireland, based on the latest published results. 

How many grammar schools are there in Northern Ireland?

There are around 66 grammar schools in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Education's most recent school census. This makes up roughly one third of the region's 190 post-primary schools, with the remaining two thirds made up of non-selective secondary schools.

Grammar schools in Northern Ireland fall into two main categories, voluntary grammar schools and controlled grammar schools, alongside a small number of grant maintained integrated schools that use partial academic selection. Grammar school enrolment has actually grown slightly in recent years, even as the total number of post-primary schools has edged down, reflecting steady demand for academically selective places across the region.

How grammar schools in Northern Ireland are ranked

Unlike England, where GCSEs alone often headline school comparisons, Northern Ireland's rankings usually weigh A-level performance more heavily, since so many grammar schools maintain large, high achieving sixth forms.

It is worth remembering that a results based ranking captures academic outcomes specifically, not the full picture of a school. Class sizes, pastoral care, extracurricular strength, and how well a particular child might settle in all matter just as much when choosing the right school for your family.

Top 10 grammar schools in Northern Ireland

1. Strathearn School, Belfast

Founded in 1929 as a junior school for girls in east Belfast, Strathearn began life as an offshoot of Victoria College with just 63 pupils. It has grown into one of Northern Ireland's leading girls' voluntary grammar schools, educating around 800 pupils aged 11 to 19. 

2. Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast

Founded in 1953 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Rathmore began life in a 19th century stately home, Rathmore House, in Finaghy. It is a Catholic co-educational voluntary grammar school with around 1,270 pupils and is consistently one of Northern Ireland's most competitive and highest performing schools. 

3. St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls, Belfast

Founded in 1870 by the Dominican Order on the Falls Road, St Dominic's opened with just four pupils under its original name, St Mary's Dominican Convent. It has educated generations of girls from West Belfast and beyond for over 150 years, and today teaches around 1,000 pupils. 

4. Friends' School Lisburn

Founded in 1774 as the Ulster Provincial School, Friends' School is the only Quaker school in Northern Ireland, funded by a bequest from linen merchant John Hancock. It has always educated both boys and girls, unusual for its time, and continues to hold Quaker values of equality and community at its core. 

5. Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock, Belfast

The college traces its roots to 1967, when St Patrick's College first opened on the Cherryvalley site. It took its current form in 1985 through the merger of St Patrick's College with the Sacred Heart of Mary Grammar School, Holywood, becoming a co-educational Catholic voluntary grammar school of around 1,300 pupils. 

6. Lumen Christi College, Derry/Londonderry

Founded in 1997 on the historic Bishop Street site once home to St Columb's College, Lumen Christi is a co-educational Catholic grammar school open to students of all faiths. Its name means "Light of Christ", and it has quickly built a strong academic reputation, having previously topped Northern Ireland's national rankings. 

7. Sullivan Upper School, Holywood

Sullivan's origins go back to 1862, when Robert Sullivan founded a lower school in Holywood, with the upper school established from his estate after his death in 1868. Today it is a well-established voluntary grammar school known for its broad academic and co-curricular offering in County Down. 

8. Banbridge Academy

One of the oldest schools on this list, Banbridge Academy was founded in 1786, giving it well over two centuries of history. It is a co-educational controlled grammar school in County Down, educating over 1,300 pupils and maintaining a long standing reputation for strong, consistent academic results. 

9. St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena

Founded in January 1924 by the Sisters of St Louis, the school opened as a girls-only convent school with just 35 pupils. It became co-educational in 1970 and has grown into a large Catholic grammar school of over 1,000 pupils, now overseen by the Diocese of Down and Connor's educational trust. 

10. Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Belfast

One of the newer schools in the top 10, Aquinas was established by the Diocese of Down and Connor in 1993, admitting its first 110 pupils that September. It is a co-educational Catholic voluntary grammar school on the Ravenhill Road, with around 770 pupils and a strong, steadily built academic reputation. 

Full list of grammar schools in Northern Ireland

1. Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School - Newry

2. Antrim Grammar School - Antrim

3. Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School - Belfast

4. Assumption Grammar School - Ballynahinch

5. Ballyclare High School - Ballyclare

6. Ballymena Academy - Ballymena

7. Banbridge Academy - Banbridge

8. Bangor Grammar School - Bangor

9. Belfast High School - Newtownabbey

10. Belfast Royal Academy - Belfast

11. Bloomfield Collegiate School - Belfast

12. Cambridge House Grammar School - Ballymena

13. Campbell College - Belfast

14. Carrickfergus Grammar School - Carrickfergus

15. Christian Brothers Grammar School - Omagh

16. Coleraine Grammar School - Coleraine

17. Dalriada School - Ballymoney

18. Dominican College Fortwilliam - Belfast

19. Dominican College Portstewart - Portstewart

20. Down High School - Downpatrick

21. Enniskillen Royal Grammar School - Enniskillen

22. Foyle College - Derry

23. Friends' School Lisburn - Lisburn

24. Glenlola Collegiate School - Bangor

25. Grosvenor Grammar School - Belfast

26. Hunterhouse College - Belfast

27. Larne Grammar School - Larne

28. Lecale Trinity Grammar School - Downpatrick

29. Limavady Grammar School - Limavady

30. Loreto College - Coleraine

31. Loreto Grammar School - Omagh

32. Lumen Christi College - Derry

33. Lurgan College - Lurgan

34. Methodist College - Belfast

35. Mount Lourdes Grammar School - Enniskillen

36. Omagh Academy Grammar School - Omagh

37. Our Lady and St Patrick's College - Belfast

38. Our Lady's Grammar School - Newry

39. Portadown College - Portadown

40. Rainey Endowed School - Magherafelt

41. Rathmore Grammar School - Belfast

42. Regent House School - Newtownards

43. Royal Belfast Academical Institution (Inst) - Belfast

44. The Royal School Armagh - Armagh

45. Royal School Dungannon - Dungannon

46. Sacred Heart Grammar School - Newry

47. St Colman's College - Newry

48. St Columb's College - Derry

49. St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls - Belfast

50. St Joseph's Grammar School - Donaghmore

51. St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena - Ballymena

52. St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel - Kilkeel

53. St Malachy's College - Belfast

54. St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School - Belfast

55. St Mary's Grammar School - Magherafelt

56. St Michael's College - Enniskillen

57. St Patrick's Academy - Dungannon

58. St Patrick's Grammar School - Armagh

59. Strabane Academy - Strabane

60. Strathearn School - Belfast

61. Sullivan Upper School - Holywood

62. Thornhill College - Derry

63. Victoria College - Belfast

64. Wallace High School - Lisburn

65. Wellington College Belfast - Belfast

How to prepare for the Northern Ireland transfer test

Entry to grammar schools in Northern Ireland is decided through the transfer test, sat in Year 7 (P7) rather than Year 6, since Northern Ireland's school year naming differs slightly from England's. Most grammar schools use results from either the AQE test or the GL Assessment test run through SEAG, and some schools accept either.

1. Understand which test your target schools actually use

Some schools only accept AQE results, others only SEAG, and some accept both. Confirming this early avoids preparing for the wrong format entirely.

2. Build strong core skills well before P7

Both tests draw heavily on English, maths and reasoning skills that benefit enormously from an early, steady start, rather than a rushed final term of preparation.

3. Practise under realistic, timed conditions

Working through 11+ past papers and sitting 11 plus mocks builds exactly the pace and composure needed for a real transfer test sitting, even though the exact question style differs slightly from England's 11+.

4. Get experienced, structured support

A tutor who understands exactly what each test demands helps target preparation far more effectively than generic revision alone.

For families wanting a concentrated push before test season, our 11 plus intensive summer course combines every core skill into one structured, focused programme, and if you are based nearby, our 11 plus tutors in Birmingham would love to help build the strong foundation every transfer test candidate benefits from.

Final thoughts

The best grammar schools in Northern Ireland naturally shift a little each year as new results are published, but the same names, Strathearn, Rathmore, St Dominic's and a strong cluster of Belfast schools, tend to sit consistently near the top. With around 66 grammar schools spread right across the region, there is a genuinely wide range of strong options well beyond the very top of the results table too.

Whichever school your family is aiming for, understanding the transfer test process and starting preparation early gives your child the best possible chance of a place that genuinely suits them.