Best Schools in Bury St Edmunds

How many schools are there in Bury St Edmunds?

Bury St Edmunds has 39 open schools: 29 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 2 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Bury St Edmunds are rated Outstanding?

6 schools in Bury St Edmunds were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: West Suffolk College; All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Lawshall; Abbeygate Sixth Form College; Priory School; Norton CEVC Primary School; and 1 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 29 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.

West Suffolk CollegeAll Saints' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, LawshallAbbeygate Sixth Form CollegePriory SchoolNorton CEVC Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Bury St Edmunds get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Bury St Edmunds with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Benedict's Catholic School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.9 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Thurston Community College, with an Attainment 8 score of 45.9 and 45% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Bury St Edmunds County High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.8 and 44% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Benedict's Catholic SchoolThurston Community CollegeBury St Edmunds County High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Bury St Edmunds have the best SATs results?

Of the 25 primary schools in Bury St Edmunds with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Abbots Green Primary Academy (82% in reading, 93% in maths); All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Lawshall (87% in reading, 87% in maths); and Cockfield Church of England Primary School (91% in reading, 82% 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.

Abbots Green Primary AcademyAll Saints' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, LawshallCockfield Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Bury St Edmunds?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Bury St Edmunds have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Bury St Edmunds have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Suffolk 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 Bury St Edmunds?

Apply to Suffolk 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.