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Best Schools in Carnforth

Lancashire · 16 schools ranked by Ofsted Rating

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days

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

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days

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

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Schools in Carnforth ranked

1

Nether Kellet Community Primary School

LA6 1HHAges 4-11104 pupils
Primary
Community school
Outstanding
2

Arnside National CofE School

LA5 0DWAges 3-1195 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
3

Holme Primary School

LA6 1QAAges 3-11122 pupils
Primary
Community school
Good
4

St Mary's CofE Primary School

LA6 2DNAges 3-11220 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
5

Burton Morewood CofE Primary School

LA6 1NDAges 2-11165 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
6

Over Kellet Wilson's Endowed Church of England Primary School

LA6 1BNAges 4-11102 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
7

Bolton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School

LA5 8DTAges 5-11290 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
8

Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

LA5 0RFAges 3-1155 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
9

Arkholme Church of England Primary School

LA6 1AUAges 3-11102 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
10

Carnforth Christ Church, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary School

LA5 9LJAges 4-11113 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
11

Carnforth High School

LA5 9LSAges 11-16657 pupils
Secondary
Academy converter
Good
12

Ingleton Primary School

LA6 3DYAges 3-11191 pupils
Primary
Community school
Good
13

Melling St Wilfrid Church of England Primary School

LA6 2REAges 4-1122 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
14

Carnforth Community Primary School

LA5 9LQAges 4-1199 pupils
Primary
Community school
Good
15

Yealand Church of England Primary School

LA5 9SUAges 4-1132 pupils
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Good
16

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Carnforth

LA5 9LSAges 3-1181 pupils
Primary
Academy converter

Special schools and alternative provision in Carnforth

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 Carnforth

How many schools are there in Carnforth?

Carnforth has 18 open schools: 15 state primary, 1 state secondary or all-through and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Carnforth are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Carnforth were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Bleasdale School and Nether Kellet Community Primary School. Counting Good as well, 100% 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.

Bleasdale SchoolNether Kellet Community Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which primary schools in Carnforth have the best SATs results?

Of the 14 primary schools in Carnforth with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Arnside National CofE School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Holme Primary School (89% in reading, 94% in maths); and Nether Kellet Community Primary School (88% in reading, 81% 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.

Arnside National CofE SchoolHolme Primary SchoolNether Kellet Community Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Carnforth?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Carnforth have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Carnforth 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 Carnforth?

Apply to your council - Lancashire, Westmorland and Furness or North Yorkshire, 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.