Scoring Methodology
A transparent explanation of how every rating is calculated — so you can judge the numbers for yourself.
Overview
Each school can receive up to two component scores — an Inspection Score and a Progression Score. When both are available they are blended into a single Overall Score out of 10. All calculations are fully reproducible from publicly available data.
Overall Score Formula
Overall Score = (Inspection Score × 0.65) + (Progression Score × 0.35)
Only shown when both components are available for the school.
| Component | Weight | Data source |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection Score | 65% | Department of Education Inspectorate reports (gov.ie) |
| Progression Score | 35% | Leaving Certificate third-level progression statistics (HEA) |
1. Inspection Score (0–10)
The Department of Education publishes reports from several types of school inspections. Not all report types carry the same weight, and older reports are given less influence to reflect changes over time.
Report type weights
Inspections differ in scope. A Whole School Evaluation (WSE) examines every aspect of the school and therefore carries the most weight. Narrower subject or programme inspections contribute less.
| Report type | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Whole School Evaluation (WSE) | 1.00 | Full school-wide assessment — highest weight |
| Subject Inspection | 0.55 | Single subject assessed in depth |
| Programme Evaluation | 0.35 | Assessment of a specific programme (e.g. TY, LCA) |
| Other Inspections | 0.15 | Follow-up, incidental or thematic visits |
| Supporting Schooling Provision | Excluded | These reports relate to provision for students with additional needs and are not used in quality ratings |
Quality ratings scale
Inspectors assign an overall quality rating to each report. These are mapped to a numeric 1–5 scale and then converted to a 0–10 score.
| Quality label | 1–5 scale | 0–10 score |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 5 | 10.0 |
| Very Good | 4 | 7.5 |
| Good | 3 | 5.0 |
| Satisfactory / Fair | 2 | 2.5 |
| Poor | 1 | 0.0 |
Recency weighting
Schools change over time — a report from ten years ago says less about today's school than one from last year. Each report is multiplied by a recency factor that decays with a five-year half-life, with a minimum floor of 0.15 so that very old reports still contribute something.
recency = max(0.15, 0.5 ^ (years_since_report / 5))
Weighted average
The final inspection score is the weighted average of all contributing reports:
inspection_score = Σ(type_weight × recency × numeric_rating) / Σ(type_weight × recency)
Evidence caps
When a school has no Whole School Evaluation on record, there is less certainty in the rating. A cap is applied to prevent an artificially high score based on limited evidence:
| Situation | Maximum inspection score |
|---|---|
| No WSE; only 1–2 contributing reports | 7.5 / 10 |
| No WSE; exactly 3 contributing reports | 8.5 / 10 |
| No WSE; 4 or more contributing reports | 8.0 / 10 |
| WSE present (any number of reports) | No cap applied |
2. Progression Score (0–10)
The Progression Score is derived from the percentage of Leaving Certificate students from each school who go on to third-level education (universities, institutes of technology, etc.).
progression_score = min(10, max(0, third_level_progression_pct / 10))
For example, a school where 85% of students progress to third level earns a Progression Score of 8.5. The score is capped at 10 (100% progression) and floored at 0.
Progression data comes from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and is matched to schools by roll number. Schools without progression data receive no Progression Score and therefore no Overall Score.
What the scores don't capture
Every rating system has limits. These scores do not reflect:
- School culture and pastoral care — how well students are supported emotionally and socially
- Extra-curricular activities — sports, arts, clubs and community involvement
- Class sizes and resources — staffing ratios and physical facilities
- Demographic context — a school in a disadvantaged area may achieve excellent outcomes relative to its starting point yet score lower than a school in an affluent suburb
- Individual fit — the right school depends on your child's personality, interests and learning style
We show the area median house price alongside each school as a rough socioeconomic signal, but it is explicitly not included in the Overall Score calculation.
Data sources & updates
- Inspection reports: gov.ie — Inspectorate reports
- School register: gov.ie — Post-primary schools
- Progression data: Higher Education Authority (HEA) annual school-level statistics
The database is updated periodically as new inspection reports are published. Scores are recalculated automatically when new reports are imported.