Staying on in national school to gain some second-level education became a feature of the Irish education system during the late nineteenth century and continued until the 1980s. Following the establishment of Ireland's Department of Education in 1924, the classes in national schools which provided second-level instruction became known as 'secondary tops'. At their peak, there were more than 80 secondary tops in Ireland. Nonetheless, few academics have seriously considered the place of secondary tops within the history of Irish education. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to examine the origins and purpose of secondary tops. It also charts the growth of secondary tops from the 1920s and finally explores the impact of the 1960s reform period on their subsequent decline. This paper argues that, until the 1960s, secondary tops were an important component of Irish second-level schooling, providing one of the few opportunities for educational advancement.