Attending school as much as possible is vital, for young people to make the most of their education - and the opportunities it brings.
Over the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years, school attendance rates in Northern Ireland fell to their worst levels on record. The BBC reports that about 30% of pupils across each of the two school years had “chronic” or “severe chronic” absence rates - significantly higher than in England or Wales.
NI Direct - the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens - says that going to school regularly is important for a child's future, with the benefits of regular school attendance including better exam performance - and eventually, job prospects. It also helps young people develop friendships, social skills, team values, life skills, and cultural awareness. It also warns parents that they are legally responsible for making sure their children go to school, and if they don’t, they could face fines or prosecution.
We’ve taken a look at the latest attendance figures from the Department of Education published just last month, which cover state-funded schools in the most recently-ended 2023/24 school year. We’ve used this data to work out which state secondary schools across the country had the highest attendance rates over the last academic year. There was a surprising amount of overlap with schools that topped the performance league tables last year too - even more testament to the importance of going to school regularly.
Here were the 15 schools from across Northern Ireland that boasted the top school attendance rates:
1. Friends' School Lisburn
This Quaker-affiliated grammar school in Lisburn came out on top with the highest attendance rate in the 2023/24 school year, at 96%. It is also worth noting that this selective school took out the top spot in the Sunday Times’ performance rankings for Northern Irish secondary schools too this year - with 85.1% of A Levels sat by its students achieving A* to B grades. | Google
2. Banbridge Academy
Another selective grammar school boasting excellent attendance rates, this one is in Banbridge, County Down. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an attendance rate of 95.9%. | Google
3. Our Lady & St Patrick's College
Our Lady & St Patrick’s is a Catholic secondary grammar school in Knock, east Belfast. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an attendance rate of 95.7%. | Google
4. Down High School
This is another selective grammar school in County Down, this one in Downpatrick. In the 2023/24 school year, it too had an attendance rate of 95.7%. | Google