Best Schools in Hampshire

How many schools are there in Hampshire?

Hampshire has 734 open schools: 509 state primary, 97 state secondary or all-through, 32 independent, 70 special and 26 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Hampshire are rated Outstanding?

94 schools in Hampshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: St Edward's School, Grantham Farm Montessori School, The Loddon School, Southlands School, Peter Symonds College and 89 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 657 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 Edward's SchoolGrantham Farm Montessori SchoolThe Loddon SchoolSouthlands SchoolPeter Symonds College

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Hampshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 106 schools in Hampshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Thornden School, with an Attainment 8 score of 64.5 and 80% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Westgate School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.7 and 69% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Kings' School, with an Attainment 8 score of 58.6 and 68% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Thornden SchoolThe Westgate SchoolKings' School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Hampshire have the best SATs results?

Of the 370 primary schools in Hampshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Ives Primary & Nursery School (97% in reading, 100% in maths); Portswood Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); and Springhill Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 97% 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 Ives Primary & Nursery SchoolPortswood Primary SchoolSpringhill Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Hampshire?

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Portsmouth published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Admiral Lord Nelson School, 1.068 miles for 2026 entry; Ark Charter Academy, 1.104 miles for 2026 entry; Mayfield School, 1.127 miles for 2026 entry; St Edmund's Catholic School, 0.51 miles for 2026 entry; Priory School, 0.882 miles for 2025 entry. We hold figures for 6 schools in Hampshire; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Admiral Lord Nelson SchoolArk Charter AcademyMayfield SchoolSt Edmund's Catholic SchoolPriory School

Source: Portsmouth admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Hampshire?

Apply to your council - Hampshire, Southampton or Portsmouth, 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.