Best Schools in Braintree

How many schools are there in Braintree?

Braintree has 23 open schools: 19 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Braintree are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Braintree was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Stisted Church of England Primary Academy. Counting Good as well, 83% of the 18 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.

Stisted Church of England Primary Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Braintree get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Braintree with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Alec Hunter Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.1 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Notley High School and Sixth Form, with an Attainment 8 score of 46.1 and 49% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Tabor Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 38.5 and 32% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Alec Hunter AcademyNotley High School and Sixth FormTabor Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Braintree have the best SATs results?

Of the 16 primary schools in Braintree with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree (93% in reading, 90% in maths); Shalford Primary School (87% in reading, 93% in maths); and Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School (88% in reading, 88% 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 Francis Catholic Primary School, BraintreeShalford Primary SchoolWethersfield CofE VC Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Braintree?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Braintree have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Braintree have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Essex 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 Braintree?

Apply to Essex 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.