Best Schools in Leicestershire

How many schools are there in Leicestershire?

Leicestershire has 404 open schools: 289 state primary, 55 state secondary or all-through, 13 independent, 33 special and 14 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Leicestershire are rated Outstanding?

32 schools in Leicestershire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: The Cedars, Woodside Lodge Outdoor Learning Centre, Ashby Hill Top Primary School, Abbey Mead Primary Academy, Stathern Primary School and 27 more. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 351 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 CedarsWoodside Lodge Outdoor Learning CentreAshby Hill Top Primary SchoolAbbey Mead Primary AcademyStathern Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Leicestershire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 59 schools in Leicestershire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Manor High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 60.4 and 79% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Madani Girls' School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.9 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.5 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Manor High SchoolMadani Girls' SchoolDe Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Leicestershire have the best SATs results?

5 of the 259 primary schools in Leicestershire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary School, Stathern Primary School and St Peter's Church of England Primary School Wymondham. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolStathern Primary SchoolSt Peter's Church of England Primary School Wymondham

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Leicestershire?

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Leicester published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Braunstone Frith Primary Academy, 3.687 miles for 2026 entry; Crown Hills Community College, 0.705 miles for 2026 entry; Evington Valley Primary School, 0.483 miles for 2026 entry; Granby Primary School, 0.832 miles for 2026 entry; Highfields Primary School, 0.714 miles for 2026 entry. We hold figures for 14 schools in Leicestershire; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Braunstone Frith Primary AcademyCrown Hills Community CollegeEvington Valley Primary SchoolGranby Primary SchoolHighfields Primary School

Source: Leicester admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Leicestershire?

Apply to your council - Leicestershire, Leicester or Nottinghamshire, 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.