Best Schools in Dudley

How many schools are there in Dudley?

Dudley has 40 open schools: 23 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 4 special and 3 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Dudley are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Dudley were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Netherton Park Nursery School. Counting Good as well, 88% of the 32 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.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolNetherton Park Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Dudley get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Dudley with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Bishop Milner Catholic College, with an Attainment 8 score of 45.4 and 39% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Dormston School, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.5 and 42% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Beacon Hill Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.4 and 47% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Bishop Milner Catholic CollegeThe Dormston SchoolBeacon Hill Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Dudley have the best SATs results?

Of the 22 primary schools in Dudley with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Chad's Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (100% in reading, 93% in maths); and Blowers Green Primary School (90% in reading, 90% 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 Chad's Catholic Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolBlowers Green Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Dudley?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in Dudley?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Dudley published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Bishop Milner Catholic College, 720 metres for 2026 entry; Beacon Hill Academy, 4203 metres for 2024 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Bishop Milner Catholic CollegeBeacon Hill Academy

Source: Dudley admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Dudley?

Apply to your council - Dudley or Staffordshire, 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.