Best Schools in Croydon

How many schools are there in Croydon?

Croydon has 66 open schools: 38 state primary, 14 state secondary or all-through, 5 independent, 7 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Croydon are rated Outstanding?

14 schools in Croydon were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Fairchildes Primary School, Park Hill Infant School, Beddington Park Academy, Harris Primary Academy Croydon, Harris Primary Academy Benson and 9 more. Counting Good as well, 98% of the 53 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.

Fairchildes Primary SchoolPark Hill Infant SchoolBeddington Park AcademyHarris Primary Academy CroydonHarris Primary Academy Benson

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Croydon get the best GCSE results?

Of the 14 schools in Croydon with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Coloma Convent Girls' School, with an Attainment 8 score of 56.8 and 62% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Orchard Park High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.5 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Oasis Academy Coulsdon, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.5 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Coloma Convent Girls' SchoolOrchard Park High SchoolOasis Academy Coulsdon

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Croydon have the best SATs results?

Of the 33 primary schools in Croydon with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Krishna Avanti Primary School (92% in reading, 100% in maths); Heathfield Academy (91% in reading, 93% in maths); and Applegarth Academy (90% in reading, 93% 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.

Krishna Avanti Primary SchoolHeathfield AcademyApplegarth Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Croydon?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Croydon have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Croydon 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 Croydon?

Apply to your council - Croydon or Sutton, 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.