Best Schools in Kent

How many schools are there in Kent?

Kent has 983 open schools: 655 state primary, 158 state secondary or all-through, 55 independent, 102 special and 13 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Kent are rated Outstanding?

137 schools in Kent were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: The Quest School, Life Skills Manor, Hilden Park, Small Haven School, Rodmersham School and 132 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 843 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.

The Quest SchoolLife Skills ManorHilden ParkSmall Haven SchoolRodmersham School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Kent get the best GCSE results?

Of the 176 schools in Kent with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 85 and 100% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Newstead Wood School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 79.5 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Dartford Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 78.9 and 100% 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.

St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar SchoolNewstead Wood SchoolDartford Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Kent have the best SATs results?

4 of the 585 primary schools in Kent with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Four Elms Primary School, Halstead Community Primary School and Plaxtol Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Four Elms Primary SchoolHalstead Community Primary SchoolPlaxtol Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Kent?

Yes. Kent has 44 state grammar schools, including Barton Court Grammar School, Beths Grammar School, Bexley Grammar School, Borden Grammar School, Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School and Chatham Grammar. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Barton Court Grammar SchoolBeths Grammar SchoolBexley Grammar SchoolBorden Grammar SchoolChatham & Clarendon Grammar SchoolChatham Grammar

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in Kent?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Bexley published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Barnehurst Infant School, 0.426 miles for 2022 entry; Birkbeck Primary School, 1.124 miles for 2022 entry; Chatsworth Infant School, 0.584 miles for 2022 entry; Days Lane Primary School, 1.698 miles for 2022 entry; Foster's Primary School, 1.201 miles for 2022 entry. We hold figures for 17 schools in Kent; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Barnehurst Infant SchoolBirkbeck Primary SchoolChatsworth Infant SchoolDays Lane Primary SchoolFoster's Primary School

Source: Bexley admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Kent?

Apply to your council - Kent, Medway or Bromley, 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.