This paper reports on a research project that set out to examine the relationship between students' involvement in school co-curricular activities and their academic performance. The warrant for the study emerges out of consistent claims made about the provision of co-curricular, namely sporting, activities and the development of a more rounded and successful student. The primary question being asked here was: "Are student's academic performances, as measured by their results for tertiary entrance in their final year of school, improved or reduced by their participation in co-curricular activities?" The study used a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to interrogate this relationship. (Contains 3 figures.)