Sacred Heart Secondary School
Drogheda, Louth
Key facts
- Girls
- Pupils enrolled
- 717 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 63860I the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
Sacred Heart Secondary School is a Catholic girls' secondary school in Drogheda, Co. Louth, with an enrolment of 717 students. The school is under the trusteeship of CEIST. It offers the Junior Cycle, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied and Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. Junior Cycle students study core subjects including English, Gaeilge, Maths, History, Geography, Science, Business Studies, Religious Education, SPHE, CSPE, Wellbeing and Physical Education, and choose between French and Spanish, and between Home Economics, Visual Art and Music. The school has a parents' council, a student representative council and a student leadership council, as well as a mentor programme. Facilities include science laboratories, music and art rooms, a computer studies unit, a gymnasium and outdoor sports areas. The school's stated ethos is shaped by the CEIST Charter Values of Justice and Responsibility, Community, Personal Development and Respect.
History
The school was formally opened on 12th September 1960 by Dr Kyne, Bishop of Meath. Its roots trace to the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy from Tullamore to Drogheda in 1854, when the sisters took up residence at St. Mary's Terrace on the Dublin Road and opened a school. Increased enrolment, drawing on a catchment of 20 primary schools, led to the opening of the present school at Sunnyside in 1960. The Parents Council was inaugurated in 1974 and ran fundraising campaigns that provided science laboratories, music and art rooms, a computer studies unit, a gymnasium and outdoor sports areas. On 1st February 2008, Mercy North joined CEIST.
Applying to Sacred Heart Secondary School
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide post-primary school dates apply broadly to Sacred Heart Secondary School. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (primary schools: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about Sacred Heart Secondary School
How many pupils attend Sacred Heart Secondary School?
Sacred Heart Secondary School has 717 pupils enrolled. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is Sacred Heart Secondary School a DEIS school?
No. Sacred Heart Secondary School is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of Sacred Heart Secondary School?
Sacred Heart Secondary School has a Catholic ethos. It is a girls' post-primary school.