The High School, Dublin
| The High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
Zion Road, Rathgar , , D06YR68 | |
| Coordinates | 53°18′21″N 6°16′23″W / 53.305872°N 6.272937°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent secondary school |
| Motto | We are faithful to our trust |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of Ireland |
| Established | 1870 |
| Oversight | The Erasmus Smith Trust |
| Principal | G A Forrest |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age range | 12–18 |
| Language | English |
| Colour(s) | Black and Red |
| Yearbook | The Erasmian and Diocesan Times |
| Website | www |
The High School is a 12–18 mixed, Church of Ireland, independent secondary school in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland.
It was established in 1870 at Harcourt Street before moving to Rathgar in 1971. It amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girls in 1974, becoming co-educational. The school offers a range of sports including badminton, cricket, cross country, hockey, rugby and tennis, and extracurricular activities including model United Nations, junior and senior debating, chess, LEGO and robotics, choir and orchestra, junior and senior drama, radio, film, literary and poetry societies and student government. In 2009, it was noted as the school with the highest rate of progression to third-level education.
It is owned and overseen by the Erasmus Smith Trust. The school hosts the W.B. Yeats Library, named for the former pupil, and the Reynolds Hall gathering centre named for former principal Ralph Reynolds. The modern site in Rathgar was built on the Danum estate, purchased by Ernest Bewley of the Bewley family in 1904. The site also holds an all weather rugby pitch, two full size hockey pitches, six basketball courts, an apiary, a croquet lawn and land suitable for tennis, athletics, badminton and shotput. The all weather pitch was a donation from former pupil Dennis O'Brien.
The new school building in Rathgar on the Bewley estate was formally opened on the 26th of November, 1971, by former Taoiseach Jack Lynch and dedicated by Reverend Alan Buchanan. The schools's Technical and Crafts Building ("T Block"), Pavillion, Music Centre ("M Block") and the Archive of the Erasmus Smith Trust were opened on the 26th of April 2002 by former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald. Plaques in the school offices commemorate both events. In 2021 the school constructed Prefabs ("P Block") at the back of the building. The school has three storeys, known as the A Floor, B Floor and C Floor respectively. Inside the building the school hosts multiple large student murals, a Demonstration Theatre, a large gymasium and sports centre, a canteen, student and staff common rooms, a photography dark room, a sensory room, two art studios, two woodworking labs, six science labs, four official meeting rooms and an infirmary. Two computer labs were replaced with classrooms in 2024.
The High School has strong ties with Zion Parish, where school services are hosted at Easter and Christmas. Annual parish fêtes from both Zion and Rathfarnham Parish are held on school grounds. The High School's primary feeder schools include Zion Parish N.S., as well as Rathfarnham Parish N.S., Booterstown N.S., Rathmichael N.S., Taney, Monkstown, Dalkey and others. The High School itself is a feeder school to many third level education institutions in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.