Best Schools in Essex

How many schools are there in Essex?

Essex has 904 open schools: 637 state primary, 150 state secondary or all-through, 42 independent, 58 special and 17 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Essex are rated Outstanding?

106 schools in Essex were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Southend High School for Girls, Thames View Infants, Southend High School for Boys, Hereward Primary School, Fullwood Primary School and 101 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 795 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.

Southend High School for GirlsThames View InfantsSouthend High School for BoysHereward Primary SchoolFullwood Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Essex get the best GCSE results?

Of the 154 schools in Essex with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 83 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chelmsford County High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 81.4 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Woodford County High School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 81.2 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

King Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordChelmsford County High School for GirlsWoodford County High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Essex have the best SATs results?

4 of the 568 primary schools in Essex with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; Stambridge Primary School; and St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolStambridge Primary SchoolSt Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Essex?

Yes. Essex has 9 state grammar schools, including Chelmsford County High School for Girls; Colchester County High School for Girls; Ilford County High School; King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford; Southend High School for Boys; and Southend High School for Girls. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Chelmsford County High School for GirlsColchester County High School for GirlsIlford County High SchoolKing Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordSouthend High School for BoysSouthend High School for Girls

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Essex have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Essex 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 Essex?

Apply to your council - Essex, Havering or Redbridge, 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.