Best Schools in Guildford

How many schools are there in Guildford?

Guildford has 50 open schools: 29 state primary, 6 state secondary or all-through, 6 independent, 5 special and 4 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Guildford are rated Outstanding?

7 schools in Guildford were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Pewley Down Infant School, St Peter's Catholic School, The Hope Service, Guildford County School, Pond Meadow School and 2 more. Counting Good as well, 97% of the 29 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.

Pewley Down Infant SchoolSt Peter's Catholic SchoolThe Hope ServiceGuildford County SchoolPond Meadow School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Guildford get the best GCSE results?

Of the 6 schools in Guildford with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Peter's Catholic School, with an Attainment 8 score of 62.5 and 78% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; George Abbot School, with an Attainment 8 score of 60.4 and 74% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Guildford County School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.2 and 72% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Peter's Catholic SchoolGeorge Abbot SchoolGuildford County School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Guildford have the best SATs results?

Of the 16 primary schools in Guildford with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Wonersh and Shamley Green CofE Aided Primary School (96% in reading, 96% in maths); Burpham Primary School (98% in reading, 90% in maths); and Normandy Village School (88% in reading, 96% 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.

Wonersh and Shamley Green CofE Aided Primary SchoolBurpham Primary SchoolNormandy Village School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Guildford?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Guildford 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 Guildford?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Surrey published how far the last place offered went at these schools: George Abbot School, 2.97 km for 2026 entry; Guildford County School, 1.51 km for 2026 entry; Kings College Guildford, 11.33 km for 2025 entry; St Peter's Catholic School, 12.9 km for 2025 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

George Abbot SchoolGuildford County SchoolKings College GuildfordSt Peter's Catholic School

Source: Surrey admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Guildford?

Apply to Surrey 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.