A Catholic grammar school - which also attracts large numbers of Protestant children - is to stop using 11-plus-style entrance tests.
Dominican College in Portstewart will move away from academic selection by 2021 as part of an area-based planning exercise.
The plan also involves the closure of St Joseph's High School and expansion of Loreto College in nearby Coleraine. Education minister John O'Dowd yesterday approved the linked proposals.
From September 2017, Dominican College will move to a phased and complete transformation away from the use of selection. It will also undergo a phased expansion up to 675 pupils.
Loreto College will increase it numbers over time to 1,080 pupils. Furthermore, St Joseph's College will undergo a phased closure over two years.
"This is an exciting and progressive development for post-primary education in the Coleraine and Portstewart area," Mr O'Dowd said.
"The evidence, both local and international, is clear - mixed ability schooling can deliver better outcomes for everyone. The top education systems around the world combine excellence with equality of access.
"We have already seen three schools - Loreto College in Coleraine, St Ronan's in Lurgan, and St Patrick Grammar in Armagh - remove the use of academic criteria for the admission of pupils, and I commend the governors of Dominican College for taking this important step which will benefit all the young people of the north coast."
The trustees of the three schools welcomed the minister's decision.
In a joint statement they said: "The vision that has informed this proposal is the desire of the trustees to continue to provide high quality Catholic education for all pupils in the colleges' catchment areas, whilst retaining a distinctive Loreto, Dominican and diocesan ethos.
"The schools will work together, and in partnership with other educational institutions in the area, to enhance pupils' educational opportunities.
"The trustees of the three schools recognise the contribution that St Joseph's College has made to Catholic education over many years and the high standards of educational provision that it has provided. They look forward to supporting the creation of the new arrangements for Catholic post-primary provision in the Coleraine, Portstewart and north west area that will sustain into the future."
