Best Schools in Chesterfield

How many schools are there in Chesterfield?

Chesterfield has 85 open schools: 63 state primary, 12 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 7 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Chesterfield are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Chesterfield were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy; and Ashgate Croft School. Counting Good as well, 96% of the 71 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.

St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyAshgate Croft School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Chesterfield get the best GCSE results?

Of the 11 schools in Chesterfield with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 60.3 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Brookfield Community School, with an Attainment 8 score of 52 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Outwood Academy Newbold, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.6 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyBrookfield Community SchoolOutwood Academy Newbold

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Chesterfield have the best SATs results?

Of the 48 primary schools in Chesterfield with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Walton Peak Flying High Academy (90% in reading, 95% in maths); Abercrombie Primary School (90% in reading, 93% in maths); and Wigley Primary School (83% in reading, 100% 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.

Walton Peak Flying High AcademyAbercrombie Primary SchoolWigley Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Chesterfield?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Chesterfield have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Derbyshire 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.