Sign up free
Skip to main content

Best Schools in Buxton

Derbyshire · 23 schools ranked by Ofsted Rating

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Derbyshire →
All Schools
Primary
Secondary
Sixth Form

Schools in Buxton ranked

1

Litton CofE Primary School

SK17 8QUAges 3-1142 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Outstanding
2

Taddington and Priestcliffe School

SK17 9TWAges 4-1164 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
3

Dove Holes CofE Primary School

SK17 8BJAges 3-1141 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
4

St Peter's Church of England (VC) Junior School

SK17 7NAAges 7-11165 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
5

St Anne's Catholic Voluntary Academy

SK17 7ANAges 5-11252 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
6

Peak Dale Primary School

SK17 8AJAges 4-1177 pupils
Primary
Community school
Good
7

Biggin CofE Primary School

SK17 0DQAges 4-1117 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
8

Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School

SK17 0BSAges 4-1134 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
9

Great Hucklow CE Primary

SK17 8RGAges 3-1133 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
10

Hartington CofE Primary School

SK17 0ASAges 4-1122 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
11

Hollinsclough Church of England Academy

SK17 0RHAges 3-1134 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
12

Manifold Church of England Primary School

SK17 0JPAges 3-1138 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
13

Peak Forest Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

SK17 8EJAges 4-1142 pupils
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Good
14

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy

SK17 6AFAges 11-16407 pupils
Secondary
Academy converter
Requires Improvement
15

Bishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary School

SK17 8NEAges 4-1175 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
16

Buxton Community School

SK17 9EAAges 11-18954 pupils
Secondary
Academy converter
17

Burbage Primary School

SK17 9AEAges 5-11355 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
18

Buxton and Leek College

SK17 6RY
Miscellaneous
19

Buxton Infant School

SK17 6QBAges 4-7
Primary
Academy converter
20

Buxton Junior School

SK17 9DRAges 7-11
Primary
Academy converter
21

Fairfield Infant and Nursery School

SK17 7PQAges 2-7
Primary
Academy converter
22

Harpur Hill Primary School

SK17 9LPAges 2-11
Primary
Academy converter
23

St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School

SK17 0NZAges 2-1120 pupils
Primary
Academy converter

Special schools and alternative provision in Buxton

These schools serve pupils with particular needs, so they aren't ranked against mainstream schools on exam results. Places are usually arranged through the council, often via an Education, Health and Care plan.

Questions parents ask about schools in Buxton

How many schools are there in Buxton?

Buxton has 26 open schools: 20 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through, 3 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Buxton are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Buxton was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Litton CofE Primary School. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 16 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.

Litton CofE Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Buxton get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Buxton with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.1 and 39% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Buxton Community School, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.1 and 33% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary AcademyBuxton Community School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Buxton have the best SATs results?

Of the 6 primary schools in Buxton with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Taddington and Priestcliffe School (100% in reading, 88% in maths); Bishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary School (82% in reading, 64% in maths); and Litton CofE Primary School (67% in reading, 75% 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.

Taddington and Priestcliffe SchoolBishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary SchoolLitton CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Buxton?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Buxton have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Buxton have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council 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 Buxton?

Apply to your council - Derbyshire, Staffordshire or Derby, 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.