Best Schools in Leeds

How many schools are there in Leeds?

Leeds has 261 open schools: 187 state primary, 39 state secondary or all-through, 7 independent, 17 special and 11 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Leeds are rated Outstanding?

32 schools in Leeds were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College; Ebor Gardens Primary Academy; Colton Primary School; Trinity Academy Leeds; St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Horsforth; and 27 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 217 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.

Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form CollegeEbor Gardens Primary AcademyColton Primary SchoolTrinity Academy LeedsSt Mary's Catholic Primary School, Horsforth

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Leeds get the best GCSE results?

Of the 42 schools in Leeds with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Allerton High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 60.2 and 76% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Horsforth School, with an Attainment 8 score of 60.1 and 75% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Abbey Grange Church of England Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.1 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Allerton High SchoolHorsforth SchoolAbbey Grange Church of England Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Leeds have the best SATs results?

Of the 180 primary schools in Leeds with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Harewood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Shire Oak VC Primary School (100% in reading, 97% in maths); and Wigton Moor Primary School (98% in reading, 98% 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.

Harewood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolShire Oak VC Primary SchoolWigton Moor Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Leeds?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Leeds have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Leeds have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council 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 Leeds?

Apply to your council - Leeds, North Yorkshire or Bradford, 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.