Best Schools in Gloucester

How many schools are there in Gloucester?

Gloucester has 88 open schools: 64 state primary, 12 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent, 5 special and 3 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Gloucester are rated Outstanding?

10 schools in Gloucester were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Upton St Leonards Church of England Primary School, The Crypt School, Hartpury College, Abbeymead Primary School, Deerhurst and Apperley Church of England Primary School and 5 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 74 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.

Upton St Leonards Church of England Primary SchoolThe Crypt SchoolHartpury CollegeAbbeymead Primary SchoolDeerhurst and Apperley Church of England Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Gloucester get the best GCSE results?

Of the 13 schools in Gloucester with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Sir Thomas Rich's School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.2 and 96% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Denmark Road High School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 74.8 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Crypt School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 73.3 and 95% 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.

Sir Thomas Rich's SchoolDenmark Road High SchoolThe Crypt School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Gloucester have the best SATs results?

Of the 52 primary schools in Gloucester with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School (100% in reading, 94% in maths); St Mary's Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); and Upton St Leonards Church of England Primary School (92% in reading, 98% 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.

Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolUpton St Leonards Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Gloucester?

Yes. Denmark Road High School, Ribston Hall High School, Sir Thomas Rich's School and The Crypt School are state grammar schools in Gloucester. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Denmark Road High SchoolRibston Hall High SchoolSir Thomas Rich's SchoolThe Crypt School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Gloucester have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Gloucester 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 Gloucester?

Apply to your council - Gloucestershire or Worcestershire, 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.