Best Schools in Maidstone

How many schools are there in Maidstone?

Maidstone has 69 open schools: 46 state primary, 12 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent, 6 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Maidstone are rated Outstanding?

13 schools in Maidstone were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Five Acre Wood School, St Helens Montessori School, Invicta Grammar School, Leigh Academy Snowfields, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls and 8 more. Counting Good as well, 97% of the 64 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.

Five Acre Wood SchoolSt Helens Montessori SchoolInvicta Grammar SchoolLeigh Academy SnowfieldsMaidstone Grammar School for Girls

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Maidstone get the best GCSE results?

Of the 14 schools in Maidstone with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Invicta Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 70.8 and 93% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Maidstone Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 67 and 91% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Oakwood Park Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 66.1 and 94% 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.

Invicta Grammar SchoolMaidstone Grammar SchoolOakwood Park Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Maidstone have the best SATs results?

Of the 42 primary schools in Maidstone with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Leigh Academy Molehill (95% in reading, 95% in maths); Allington Primary School (87% in reading, 95% in maths); and Maidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School (91% in reading, 89% 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.

Leigh Academy MolehillAllington Primary SchoolMaidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Maidstone?

Yes. Invicta Grammar School, Maidstone Grammar School, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls and Oakwood Park Grammar School are state grammar schools in Maidstone. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Invicta Grammar SchoolMaidstone Grammar SchoolMaidstone Grammar School for GirlsOakwood Park Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Maidstone have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Kent 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.