Best Schools in Dunstable

How many schools are there in Dunstable?

Dunstable has 33 open schools: 22 state primary, 6 state secondary or all-through, 3 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Dunstable are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Dunstable was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Lark Rise Academy. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 30 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.

Lark Rise Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Dunstable get the best GCSE results?

Of the 6 schools in Dunstable with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Houstone School, with an Attainment 8 score of 48.7 and 57% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Harlington Upper School, with an Attainment 8 score of 46.1 and 46% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Priory Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 42 and 45% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Houstone SchoolHarlington Upper SchoolPriory Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Dunstable have the best SATs results?

Of the 19 primary schools in Dunstable with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Lark Rise Academy (98% in reading, 95% in maths); St Vincent's Catholic Primary School (93% in reading, 80% in maths); and Edlesborough Primary Academy (89% in reading, 82% 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.

Lark Rise AcademySt Vincent's Catholic Primary SchoolEdlesborough Primary Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Dunstable?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Dunstable have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Dunstable 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 Dunstable?

Apply to your council - Central Bedfordshire or Buckinghamshire, 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.