Data shows closing of the education gap
Three secondary schools in Ballyfermot saw less than 40pc of their students accessing third level education in 2023, according to the Feeder Schools data published this week.
While the data showed an overall closing of the education gap in the country, with 64% of DEIS school leavers making it to college in 2023, the gap still exists and is well visible in the Dublin 10 postcode area.
Only 32pc of school leavers from Kylemore College enrolled into university in 2023, 36% from St Dominic’s and 38% from St John’s College De La Salle. All the three schools saw a decrease from 2022, when St Dominic’s sent 61% of school leavers to college.
More positive news came from Ballyfermot Caritas College with 67pc of students making it to third level education, compared to 38pc in 2022.
These are not the lowest numbers in the Dublin area as only 25pc of Tallaght’s Killinarden Community School students accessed university in 2023.
Numbers in Dublin 24 vary from 44% of students going into college from Mount Seskin CC to 52% from St Aidan’s and 75% from St Mark’s.
But Tallaght did well as an overall increase of students who went to college after their Leaving Certificate was recorded across most of the schools.
The same variation applied to Clondalkin, where St Kevin’s and Collinstown Park saw the number of their school leavers accessing university falling from 2022, while data from Coláiste Bride, Moyle Park, and Deansrath CC increased respectively to 76pc, 68pc, and 45pc.
Back into the city, Crumlin was another area where opportunities to progress in education are still too little, with 48pc of students from Rosary College and 32pc of students from Clogher Road CC accessing universities. Both schools showed a small improvement from 2022.
According to the Feeder Schools data, the education gap is even more evident when it comes to accessing “traditional universities,” such as Trinity and UCD.
In Dublin 6, about 68pc went on to a traditional university, compared with 26pc in Dublin 10.
On the other hand, the development of more technological universities such as TU Dublin allowed more students to progress in their education regardless of their area.
The Feeder Schools statistics does not include apprenticeships or other kinds of post leaving certificate education, which are growing and might be preferred by students from disadvantaged areas who need to enter the workforce earlier compared to their peers from affluent families.
