Parents and the public are likely to have continued access to school "league tables" despite pressure from teacher unions and management groups to block their publication. The CAO last night emphasised that no move had been taken to block publication of the tables.
A CAO board meeting late next week is likely to refer the matter to the third-level colleges themselves, which will decide on the issue.
Third-level sources say that many colleges will facilitate publication of the tables, irrespective of any action taken by the CAO.
It emerged last night that a decision by the CAO to consider a possible ban was made in response to what one source said was the "negative reaction" from teacher unions, school principals and third-level colleges to the tables.
Ms Mary McGlynn, of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), yesterday confirmed that she had discussed the impact of the tables with the CAO on an informal basis. She denied that her organisation had specifically lobbied the CAO to help prevent publication.
Last night a leading parents' spokeswoman criticised the CAO for its failure to consult parents. Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, chief executive of the National Parents' Council (Primary), said: "We would expect to be consulted on any possible decision like this. Parents and students are being ignored . . . This is a retrograde step."
Further pressure on the CAO came yesterday when the Information Commissioner, Ms Emily O'Reilly, said that the public and the media were "well capable" of assessing the true significance of any particular information.
"I appreciate that there is a certain level of controversy attaching to the issue of school league tables, and there are strong opinions on both sides," she said. "My office has always taken the view that just because information is capable of being misused or distorted is not, in itself, sufficient basis to refuse access to that information."
The CAO is believed to be concerned that the current tables may breach data protection laws, as information gathered for one purpose was being used for another.
A spokesman for the Data Protection Commissioner said yesterday that the CAO was obliged to ensure that information it provided to other parties was for a legitimate purpose. However, once this information was provided, it was not responsible for how it was used, he said.
The publication of feeder school lists in The Irish Times, while popular with parents, has been criticised by teacher unions and management bodies.
The pro-active approach of the CAO to the league tables issue is surprising, as the organisation has always avoided policy questions, concentrating instead on the processing of information.
Publication of the feeder school lists is possible because students applying to the CAO have to give details of their schools. This enables the CAO to validate their exam results. This information is then passed to the third-level colleges. The media are then able to access it via the Freedom of Information Act.