Best Schools in Carlisle

How many schools are there in Carlisle?

Carlisle has 55 open schools: 45 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 2 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Carlisle are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Carlisle were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: High Hesket CofE School and James Rennie School. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 50 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.

High Hesket CofE SchoolJames Rennie School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Carlisle get the best GCSE results?

Of the 5 schools in Carlisle with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Richard Rose Central Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.4 and 37% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Richard Rose Morton Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 41.5 and 32% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Caldew School, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.5 and 23% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Richard Rose Central AcademyRichard Rose Morton AcademyCaldew School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Carlisle have the best SATs results?

Of the 40 primary schools in Carlisle with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Ivegill CofE School (85% in reading, 100% in maths); Stoneraise School (90% in reading, 95% in maths); and Shankhill CofE Primary School (100% in reading, 83% 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.

Ivegill CofE SchoolStoneraise SchoolShankhill CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Carlisle?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Carlisle have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Carlisle 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 Carlisle?

Apply to your council - Cumberland or Westmorland and Furness, 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. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.