Best Schools in Canterbury

How many schools are there in Canterbury?

Canterbury has 54 open schools: 30 state primary, 8 state secondary or all-through, 8 independent, 6 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Canterbury are rated Outstanding?

4 schools in Canterbury were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Adisham Church of England Primary School, Blean Primary School, Sturry Church of England Primary School and Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys. Counting Good as well, 98% of the 40 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.

Adisham Church of England Primary SchoolBlean Primary SchoolSturry Church of England Primary SchoolSimon Langton Grammar School for Boys

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Canterbury get the best GCSE results?

Of the 8 schools in Canterbury with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 69.4 and 91% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Barton Court Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 66.1 and 86% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 66 and 90% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Simon Langton Grammar School for BoysBarton Court Grammar SchoolSimon Langton Girls' Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Canterbury have the best SATs results?

Of the 27 primary schools in Canterbury with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury (87% in reading, 93% in maths); Blean Primary School (87% in reading, 85% in maths); and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham (86% in reading, 86% 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 Thomas' Catholic Primary School, CanterburyBlean Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Canterbury?

Yes. Barton Court Grammar School, Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School and Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys are state grammar schools in Canterbury. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Barton Court Grammar SchoolSimon Langton Girls' Grammar SchoolSimon Langton Grammar School for Boys

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Canterbury have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Kent 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.