Best Schools in Accrington

How many schools are there in Accrington?

Accrington has 36 open schools: 25 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 2 special and 3 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Accrington are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Accrington were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Oswaldtwistle White Ash School; St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington; and Accrington Peel Park Primary School. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 30 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Oswaldtwistle White Ash SchoolSt Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, AccringtonAccrington Peel Park Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Accrington get the best GCSE results?

Of the 5 schools in Accrington with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Accrington St Christopher's Church of England High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.5 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.5 and 36% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Hollins, with an Attainment 8 score of 41.9 and 35% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Accrington St Christopher's Church of England High SchoolMount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, HyndburnThe Hollins

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Accrington have the best SATs results?

Of the 25 primary schools in Accrington with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Oswaldtwistle (94% in reading, 86% in maths); Clayton-le-Moors All Saints' Church of England Primary School (88% in reading, 84% in maths); and Oswaldtwistle Moor End Primary School (81% in reading, 85% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, OswaldtwistleClayton-le-Moors All Saints' Church of England Primary SchoolOswaldtwistle Moor End Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Accrington?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Accrington selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Accrington have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Accrington have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Accrington?

Apply to Lancashire through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.