Best Schools in Bristol, City of

How many schools are there in Bristol, City of?

Bristol, City of has 175 open schools: 102 state primary, 30 state secondary or all-through, 9 independent, 18 special and 16 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Bristol, City of are rated Outstanding?

20 schools in Bristol, City of were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: LPW Independent School, Christ Church Church of England Primary School, Bishop Road Primary School, Elmlea Infant School, Frome Vale Academy and 15 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 138 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.

LPW Independent SchoolChrist Church Church of England Primary SchoolBishop Road Primary SchoolElmlea Infant SchoolFrome Vale Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Bristol, City of get the best GCSE results?

Of the 27 schools in Bristol, City of with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Bristol Free School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.3 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Redland Green School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.9 and 65% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and E-ACT Montpelier High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.6 and 61% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Bristol Free SchoolRedland Green SchoolE-ACT Montpelier High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Bristol, City of have the best SATs results?

Of the 92 primary schools in Bristol, City of with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Elmlea Junior School (96% in reading, 96% in maths); Westbury Park School (93% in reading, 98% in maths); and Bridge Learning Campus (97% in reading, 92% 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.

Elmlea Junior SchoolWestbury Park SchoolBridge Learning Campus

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Bristol, City of?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Bristol, City of have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Bristol, City of have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Bristol, City of 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 Bristol, City of?

Apply to Bristol, City of 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.