Best Schools in Lowestoft

How many schools are there in Lowestoft?

Lowestoft has 32 open schools: 20 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 4 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Lowestoft are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Lowestoft were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Woods Loke Primary School, Oulton Broad Primary School and The Ashley School. Counting Good as well, 83% of the 29 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.

Woods Loke Primary SchoolOulton Broad Primary SchoolThe Ashley School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Lowestoft get the best GCSE results?

Of the 5 schools in Lowestoft with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at East Point Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.2 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and Mathematics, with an Attainment 8 score of 46.6 and 49% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Pakefield High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.3 and 42% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

East Point AcademyBenjamin Britten Academy of Music and MathematicsPakefield High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Lowestoft have the best SATs results?

Of the 18 primary schools in Lowestoft with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Red Oak Primary School (95% in reading, 98% in maths); Elm Tree Primary School (94% in reading, 91% in maths); and Oulton Broad Primary School (95% in reading, 86% 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.

Red Oak Primary SchoolElm Tree Primary SchoolOulton Broad Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Lowestoft?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Lowestoft have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Lowestoft have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Suffolk 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 Lowestoft?

Apply to Suffolk 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.