Best Schools in Leighton Buzzard

How many schools are there in Leighton Buzzard?

Leighton Buzzard has 24 open schools: 16 state primary, 6 state secondary or all-through and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Leighton Buzzard are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Leighton Buzzard was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Oak Bank School. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 20 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.

Oak Bank School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Leighton Buzzard get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Leighton Buzzard with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Cedars Upper School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.1 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Vandyke Upper School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.6 and 46% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Oak Bank School, with an Attainment 8 score of 11.8 and 5% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Cedars Upper SchoolVandyke Upper SchoolOak Bank School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Leighton Buzzard have the best SATs results?

Of the 2 primary schools in Leighton Buzzard with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Brookmead School (87% in reading, 94% in maths); and St Michael's Church of England Combined School (64% in reading, 58% 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.

Brookmead SchoolSt Michael's Church of England Combined School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Leighton Buzzard?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Leighton Buzzard have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Leighton Buzzard 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 Leighton Buzzard?

Apply to your council - Central Bedfordshire or Buckinghamshire, 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.