Best Schools in Ipswich

How many schools are there in Ipswich?

Ipswich has 99 open schools: 63 state primary, 16 state secondary or all-through, 6 independent, 8 special and 6 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Ipswich are rated Outstanding?

9 schools in Ipswich were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Highfield Nursery School; St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich; One Sixth Form College; The Oaks Primary School; Copdock Primary School; and 4 more. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 79 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.

Highfield Nursery SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary School, IpswichOne Sixth Form CollegeThe Oaks Primary SchoolCopdock Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Ipswich get the best GCSE results?

Of the 14 schools in Ipswich with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Northgate High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.5 and 51% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Copleston High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 48.3 and 51% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Kesgrave High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47 and 48% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Northgate High SchoolCopleston High SchoolKesgrave High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Ipswich have the best SATs results?

Of the 55 primary schools in Ipswich with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich (97% in reading, 97% in maths); Chelmondiston Church of England Primary School (96% in reading, 88% in maths); and St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich (84% in reading, 91% 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 John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichChelmondiston Church of England Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Ipswich?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Ipswich have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Suffolk 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.