Best Schools in Darlington

How many schools are there in Darlington?

Darlington has 49 open schools: 30 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 5 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Darlington are rated Outstanding?

6 schools in Darlington were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hurworth House School Aspris Children's services, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Oakwood Learning Centre, St John's Church of England Academy, George Dent Nursery School and 1 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 45 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 CollegeOakwood Learning CentreSt John's Church of England AcademyGeorge Dent Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Darlington get the best GCSE results?

Of the 10 schools in Darlington with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Carmel College, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.7 and 54% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Hummersknott Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.7 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Staindrop Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.7 and 52% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Carmel CollegeHummersknott AcademyStaindrop Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Darlington have the best SATs results?

Of the 29 primary schools in Darlington with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Ingleton CofE Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School (88% in reading, 97% 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.

Ingleton CofE Primary SchoolStaindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary SchoolSt Teresa's Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Darlington?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Darlington have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Darlington 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 Darlington?

Apply to your council - Darlington, County Durham or North Yorkshire, 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.