Best Schools in Liverpool

How many schools are there in Liverpool?

Liverpool has 293 open schools: 186 state primary, 50 state secondary or all-through, 10 independent, 30 special and 17 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Liverpool are rated Outstanding?

40 schools in Liverpool were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Abbot's Lea School; Lakeside School; Sandfield Park School; St Thomas Church of England Primary School, Lydiate; Freshfield Primary School; and 35 more. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 235 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.

Abbot's Lea SchoolLakeside SchoolSandfield Park SchoolSt Thomas Church of England Primary School, LydiateFreshfield Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Liverpool get the best GCSE results?

Of the 51 schools in Liverpool with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Blue Coat School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 78.6 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; King David High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 55.4 and 69% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Edward's College, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.3 and 54% 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.

The Blue Coat SchoolKing David High SchoolSt Edward's College

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Liverpool have the best SATs results?

Of the 174 primary schools in Liverpool with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Blacklow Brow School (97% in reading, 100% in maths); St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School (94% in reading, 97% in maths); and Summerhill Primary School (93% in reading, 97% 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.

Blacklow Brow SchoolSt Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary SchoolSummerhill Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Liverpool?

Yes. The Blue Coat School is a state grammar school in Liverpool. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

The Blue Coat School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Sefton and Knowsley published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Aintree Davenhill Primary School, 1.694 miles for 2024 entry; Willow Tree Primary School, 0.981 miles for 2024 entry; Bedford Primary School, 1.519 miles for 2023 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Aintree Davenhill Primary SchoolWillow Tree Primary SchoolBedford Primary School

Source: Sefton admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Liverpool?

Apply to your council - Liverpool, Sefton or Knowsley, 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.