Best Schools in Cumberland

How many schools are there in Cumberland?

Cumberland has 179 open schools: 145 state primary, 19 state secondary or all-through, 2 independent, 6 special and 7 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Cumberland are rated Outstanding?

14 schools in Cumberland were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Bookwell Primary School, Lanercost CofE Primary School, Keswick School, Ashfield Infant & Nursery School, Silloth Primary School and 9 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 164 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.

Bookwell Primary SchoolLanercost CofE Primary SchoolKeswick SchoolAshfield Infant & Nursery SchoolSilloth Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Cumberland get the best GCSE results?

Of the 20 schools in Cumberland with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Keswick School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.9 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Cockermouth School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.9 and 47% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Benedict's Catholic High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.8 and 40% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Keswick SchoolCockermouth SchoolSt Benedict's Catholic High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Cumberland have the best SATs results?

Of the 111 primary schools in Cumberland with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Rosley CofE School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Wiggonby CofE School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); and Lanercost CofE Primary School (91% 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.

Rosley CofE SchoolWiggonby CofE SchoolLanercost CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Cumberland?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Cumberland have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Cumberland 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.