Best Schools in Doncaster

How many schools are there in Doncaster?

Doncaster has 152 open schools: 108 state primary, 23 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 15 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Doncaster are rated Outstanding?

11 schools in Doncaster were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Hill Top Academy, Grange Lane Infant Academy, New College Doncaster, Heatherwood School and 6 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 127 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.

Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolHill Top AcademyGrange Lane Infant AcademyNew College DoncasterHeatherwood School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Doncaster get the best GCSE results?

Of the 23 schools in Doncaster with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Hayfield School, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.3 and 62% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Hungerhill School, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.9 and 60% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Ash Hill Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.2 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The Hayfield SchoolHungerhill SchoolAsh Hill Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Doncaster have the best SATs results?

Of the 96 primary schools in Doncaster with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Southfield Primary (100% in reading, 97% in maths); Crookesbroom Primary Academy (90% in reading, 97% in maths); and Epworth Primary Academy (93% 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.

Southfield PrimaryCrookesbroom Primary AcademyEpworth Primary Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Doncaster?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Doncaster have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Doncaster 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 Doncaster?

Apply to your council - Doncaster, Nottinghamshire or North Lincolnshire, 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.