Best Schools in Cambridge

How many schools are there in Cambridge?

Cambridge has 130 open schools: 78 state primary, 18 state secondary or all-through, 15 independent, 7 special and 12 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Cambridge are rated Outstanding?

15 schools in Cambridge were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hills Road Sixth Form College, Histon and Impington Park Primary School, St Bede's Inter-Church School, Swavesey Village College, Pilgrim Pathways School and 10 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 107 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.

Hills Road Sixth Form CollegeHiston and Impington Park Primary SchoolSt Bede's Inter-Church SchoolSwavesey Village CollegePilgrim Pathways School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Cambridge get the best GCSE results?

Of the 18 schools in Cambridge with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Parkside Community College, with an Attainment 8 score of 65.9 and 82% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chesterton Community College, with an Attainment 8 score of 65.4 and 73% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Bede's Inter-Church School, with an Attainment 8 score of 62.9 and 75% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Parkside Community CollegeChesterton Community CollegeSt Bede's Inter-Church School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Cambridge have the best SATs results?

Of the 76 primary schools in Cambridge with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Histon and Impington Brook Primary School (95% in reading, 97% in maths); Newnham Croft Primary School (97% in reading, 94% in maths); and Dry Drayton CofE (C) Primary School, and Pre-School (100% 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.

Histon and Impington Brook Primary SchoolNewnham Croft Primary SchoolDry Drayton CofE (C) Primary School, and Pre-School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Cambridge?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Cambridge 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 Cambridge?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Cambridgeshire published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Bottisham Village College, 6.403 miles for 2024 entry; Cambourne Village College, 6.709 miles for 2024 entry; Chesterton Community College, 0.37 miles for 2024 entry; Coleridge Community College, 7.947 miles for 2024 entry; Comberton Village College, 11.813 miles for 2024 entry. We hold figures for 14 schools in Cambridge; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Bottisham Village CollegeCambourne Village CollegeChesterton Community CollegeColeridge Community CollegeComberton Village College

Source: Cambridgeshire admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Cambridge?

Apply to Cambridgeshire 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.