Best Schools in Derbyshire

How many schools are there in Derbyshire?

Derbyshire has 517 open schools: 399 state primary, 60 state secondary or all-through, 10 independent, 30 special and 18 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Derbyshire are rated Outstanding?

33 schools in Derbyshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Pegasus School; St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy; Lea Primary School; Lawn Primary School; John King Infant Academy; and 28 more. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 429 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.

Pegasus SchoolSt Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyLea Primary SchoolLawn Primary SchoolJohn King Infant Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Derbyshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 60 schools in Derbyshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 60.3 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Ecclesbourne School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.3 and 68% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Littleover Community School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.5 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyThe Ecclesbourne SchoolLittleover Community School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Derbyshire have the best SATs results?

6 of the 285 primary schools in Derbyshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Aston-on-Trent Primary School, Holbrook Church of England Primary School and Kirk Langley CofE 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.

Aston-on-Trent Primary SchoolHolbrook Church of England Primary SchoolKirk Langley CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Derbyshire?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Derbyshire have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Derbyshire 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 Derbyshire?

Apply to your council - Derbyshire, Derby or Leicestershire, 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.