Best Schools in Harpenden

How many schools are there in Harpenden?

Harpenden has 20 open schools: 13 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 2 independent and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Harpenden are rated Outstanding?

9 schools in Harpenden were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Crabtree Infants' School, Crabtree Junior School, Roundwood Park School, Wood End School, The Grove Infant and Nursery School and 4 more. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 17 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.

Crabtree Infants' SchoolCrabtree Junior SchoolRoundwood Park SchoolWood End SchoolThe Grove Infant and Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Harpenden get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Harpenden with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St George's School, with an Attainment 8 score of 65.6 and 85% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Sir John Lawes School, with an Attainment 8 score of 63.9 and 72% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Roundwood Park School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.1 and 73% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St George's SchoolSir John Lawes SchoolRoundwood Park School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Harpenden have the best SATs results?

Of the 10 primary schools in Harpenden with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School (100% in reading, 95% in maths); High Beeches Primary School (98% in reading, 95% in maths); and Manland Primary School (94% in reading, 94% 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 Nicholas CofE VA Primary SchoolHigh Beeches Primary SchoolManland Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Harpenden?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Harpenden have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Harpenden have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire 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 Harpenden?

Apply to Hertfordshire 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.