Best Schools in Bradford

How many schools are there in Bradford?

Bradford has 167 open schools: 108 state primary, 29 state secondary or all-through, 11 independent, 9 special and 10 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Bradford are rated Outstanding?

24 schools in Bradford were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Bradford; Midland Road Nursery School; Abbey Green Nursery School; St John's CofE Primary School; Dixons Marchbank Primary; and 19 more. Counting Good as well, 86% of the 133 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.

Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, BradfordMidland Road Nursery SchoolAbbey Green Nursery SchoolSt John's CofE Primary SchoolDixons Marchbank Primary

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Bradford get the best GCSE results?

Of the 29 schools in Bradford with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Feversham Girls' Secondary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 55.3 and 53% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Dixons Kings Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.7 and 64% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Dixons Trinity Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.5 and 54% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Feversham Girls' Secondary AcademyDixons Kings AcademyDixons Trinity Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Bradford have the best SATs results?

Of the 110 primary schools in Bradford with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy (93% in reading, 93% in maths); Thackley Primary School (88% in reading, 95% in maths); and Lift Feversham (90% in reading, 90% 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.

Barkerend Primary Leadership AcademyThackley Primary SchoolLift Feversham

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Bradford?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in Bradford?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Bradford published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Bankfoot Primary School, 2.496 miles for 2027 entry; Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy, 0.227 miles for 2027 entry; Blakehill Primary School, 0.666 miles for 2027 entry; Carrwood Primary School, 0.268 miles for 2027 entry; Clayton St John CofE Primary School, 2.275 miles for 2027 entry. We hold figures for 38 schools in Bradford; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Bankfoot Primary SchoolBarkerend Primary Leadership AcademyBlakehill Primary SchoolCarrwood Primary SchoolClayton St John CofE Primary School

Source: Bradford admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Bradford?

Apply to your council - Bradford, Leeds or Kirklees, depending on your address - 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.