Good schools around Dun Laoghaire

[KedgyAngel]

Hi, I'm looking forward to some suggestions around secondary schools for my son who is in 6th class currently.
The list of schools that I know of are:

CBC Monkstown
St Andrew's
Rathdown School
Blackrock College
Newtown Park Comprehensive School
Stepaside Educate Together
Clonkeen College

Can someone rate these schools in terms of academics and sports related activities?
Thanks.

Hi I live in dun laoghaire and know a little about these schools. The first question though is are you happy to pay fees, the second is when do you need a place as most of the free schoold on that list are oversubscribed and have waiting list.

I can give you a run down though on the ones you mention, more from a parents/anecdotal perspective than achievements though, if that's any good.

Any of the private schools will be academic and sporty, they work hard to attract students on this basis.
Blackrock College is a boys only school, at the higher end of the fees cost. My nephews go there and seem very happy. It's very sporty and quite academic but for me it's a sort of precursor for the old boys network, very much about networking etc. I personally think it's a very sexist institution but I will say that as a school and as a community they watch out for each other.
St Andrews is also private but it has boys and girls and while it is academic and sporty there is more of an arty, inclusive vibe.
Rathdown is fee paying too, quite academic with good sports teams but although it is mixed sex, it used to be a girls only school and is still predominantly female.
Cbc monkstown is private but the fees would be a little less than the others, it's all boys, academic and sporty, but would be a bit less sexist and more inclusive than Blackrock College imo. Another of my nephews went there and loved it.
Clonkeen is very similar to CBC, they always get nearly identical results, it has a similar vibe and is boys only but with no fees.
Newpark is free and mixed sex, it has a more inclusive and arty vibe than the other schools, they have decent sports teams, and a music centre, they are not as academic as the other schools listed, a bright student can still do very well there though, and they have a very good resource dept.
I don't know anything about Stepaside school, sorry.
St Joseph of Cluny is a girls private school in killiney it is girls only at present but will be accepting boys from 2025, it would be on a par with cbc academically and fees wise. Hope that helps, anything else you want to ask feel free, as I say can't give any facts and figures, just local knowledge of the schools really.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much for your inputs. Appreciate it.

I assume you are not local? Are you moving to the area?

Hii @Deadringer I have been here since 5 years now but new to schools and all since it's first time for me.
Mg son got CBC Senior and Step Aside Educate Together.
Which school is better in terms of overall things?
Thank you for the help in advance.

Irish schools don't have the same kind of league tables as the UK. There is the annual % ranking of going into higher education though which maybe helpful.
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/feeder-schools-2024-find-out-which-schools-send-the-most-students-to-college/a734290281.html

I don't know the schools, but Stepaside ET looks like a tiny school, is it new? Do you prefer a Catholic or non-demonational school? Educate Togethers tend to have no uniform and call teachers by the first names, so how do you feel about that?

I know absolutely nothing about stepaside educate together but in general the educate together schools are very popular and tend to get a good mixture of children from all walks of life and have a good reputation. Cbc monkstown has a very good reputation for sports and academics and is a nice friendly school. It is very traditional, possibly even quite old fashioned with a strict uniform policy. As a pp said stepaside would be more casual, no uniform and less formality between students and teachers. A lot depends on where you live really, it's a great advantage if your dc goes to a school local to where you live. We really are blessed in south dublin in that there are lots of really good schools.

Would you consider Wesley? Again - all I can offer is anecdotal opinion, but my godson is absolutely thriving there. He lives mostly with his dad, and his mum is a slightly chaotic presence in his life, and his dad and step-mum would absolute credit the school with providing him with a wonderful community and stability in a really nurturing environment.