Best Schools in County Durham

How many schools are there in County Durham?

County Durham has 267 open schools: 200 state primary, 33 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent, 12 special and 18 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in County Durham are rated Outstanding?

22 schools in County Durham were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hurworth House School Aspris Children's services, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, The Academy at Shotton Hall, Kirk Merrington Primary School, Oakwood Learning Centre and 17 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 198 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.

Hurworth House School Aspris Children's servicesQueen Elizabeth Sixth Form CollegeThe Academy at Shotton HallKirk Merrington Primary SchoolOakwood Learning Centre

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in County Durham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 34 schools in County Durham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, with an Attainment 8 score of 56.3 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Academy at Shotton Hall, with an Attainment 8 score of 55 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Tanfield School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.4 and 63% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Durham Johnston Comprehensive SchoolThe Academy at Shotton HallTanfield School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in County Durham have the best SATs results?

3 of the 177 primary schools in County Durham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Ingleton CofE Primary School, Nettlesworth Primary School and Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Ingleton CofE Primary SchoolNettlesworth Primary SchoolStaindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in County Durham?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in County Durham have catchment areas?

Most state schools in County Durham 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 County Durham?

Apply to your council - County Durham, Darlington or Gateshead, 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.