Best Schools in Cheltenham

How many schools are there in Cheltenham?

Cheltenham has 70 open schools: 45 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 9 independent, 5 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Cheltenham are rated Outstanding?

8 schools in Cheltenham were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Pate's Grammar School, The High School Leckhampton, Christ Church CofE Primary School, Gloucester Road Primary School, The Cotswold Academy and 3 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 55 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.

Pate's Grammar SchoolThe High School LeckhamptonChrist Church CofE Primary SchoolGloucester Road Primary SchoolThe Cotswold Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Cheltenham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Cheltenham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Pate's Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 82.4 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Balcarras School, with an Attainment 8 score of 62.1 and 80% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The High School Leckhampton, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.7 and 66% 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.

Pate's Grammar SchoolBalcarras SchoolThe High School Leckhampton

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Cheltenham have the best SATs results?

Of the 40 primary schools in Cheltenham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Coberley Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Cold Aston Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); and Andoversford Primary School (100% 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.

Coberley Church of England Primary SchoolCold Aston Church of England Primary SchoolAndoversford Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Cheltenham?

Yes. Pate's Grammar School is a state grammar school in Cheltenham. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Pate's Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Cheltenham have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Gloucestershire 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.