Best Schools in Colchester

How many schools are there in Colchester?

Colchester has 104 open schools: 73 state primary, 16 state secondary or all-through, 5 independent, 6 special and 4 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Colchester are rated Outstanding?

9 schools in Colchester were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: The Sixth Form College Colchester; Colchester County High School for Girls; St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester; Lakelands Primary School; The Gilberd School; and 4 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 84 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.

The Sixth Form College ColchesterColchester County High School for GirlsSt Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, ColchesterLakelands Primary SchoolThe Gilberd School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Colchester get the best GCSE results?

Of the 18 schools in Colchester with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Colchester Royal Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 80.9 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Colchester County High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 79.7 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Benedict's Catholic College, with an Attainment 8 score of 58.4 and 76% 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.

Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolColchester County High School for GirlsSt Benedict's Catholic College

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Colchester have the best SATs results?

Of the 66 primary schools in Colchester with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester (100% in reading, 97% in maths); Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy (91% in reading, 100% in maths); and Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt (95% in reading, 95% 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 More's Catholic Primary School, ColchesterArdleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary AcademyHeathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Colchester?

Yes. Colchester County High School for Girls and Colchester Royal Grammar School are state grammar schools in Colchester. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Colchester County High School for GirlsColchester Royal Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Colchester have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Colchester 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 Colchester?

Apply to your council - Essex or Suffolk, 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.