The non-selective school, which has about 1,850 pupils, initiallyThe majority of its pupils are from a Protestant background but more than 40% are from Catholic, non-Christian or non-religious backgrounds, according to DE statistics.
In a statement released through the Integrated Education Fund , Bangor Academy's principal Matthew Pitts said he was delighted at such an "overwhelmingly positive result"."The entire school community, teachers and Board of Governors look forward to working closely with The Council for Integrated Education and the Integrated Education Fund to proceed through the process to become fully Integrated," he said.
Parents at a nearby large primary school in Bangor, Rathmore, have also voted by a clear majority for it to become integrated. More than 27,000 pupils are currently taught in integrated schools in Northern Ireland but that is about 8% of the entire school population.to give more support to integrated education was passed by assembly members in April 2022.
But the commitments contained in the new law led some schools, education bodies and church representatives to claim it would "elevate integrated schools" above other types of school.by campaigners for integrated education.