Best Schools in Darwen

How many schools are there in Darwen?

Darwen has 19 open schools: 14 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through, 1 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Darwen are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Darwen were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Turncroft Nursery School and Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School. Counting Good as well, 83% of the 18 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.

Turncroft Nursery SchoolHoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Darwen get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Darwen with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Darwen Vale High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 39 and 28% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 36.8 and 21% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Aldridge UTC Darwen, with an Attainment 8 score of 31.7 and 19% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Darwen Vale High SchoolDarwen Aldridge Community AcademyAldridge UTC Darwen

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Darwen have the best SATs results?

Of the 14 primary schools in Darwen with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen (87% in reading, 83% in maths); Avondale Primary School (83% in reading, 79% in maths); and Darwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy (74% in reading, 81% 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 Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, DarwenAvondale Primary SchoolDarwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Darwen?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Darwen have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Blackburn with Darwen 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.