Best Schools in Manchester

How many schools are there in Manchester?

Manchester has 418 open schools: 285 state primary, 63 state secondary or all-through, 20 independent, 37 special and 13 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Manchester are rated Outstanding?

53 schools in Manchester were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Old Moat Primary School, Martenscroft Nursery School & Children's Centre, Prestolee Primary School, St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Manley Park Primary School and 48 more. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 328 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.

Old Moat Primary SchoolMartenscroft Nursery School & Children's CentrePrestolee Primary SchoolSt Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolManley Park Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Manchester get the best GCSE results?

Of the 66 schools in Manchester with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Urmston Grammar Academy (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.6 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Stretford Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.5 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester, with an Attainment 8 score of 61.8 and 68% 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.

Urmston Grammar AcademyStretford Grammar SchoolEden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Manchester have the best SATs results?

Of the 252 primary schools in Manchester with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Christ The King RC Primary School (96% in reading, 100% in maths); Broadoak Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); and Davyhulme Primary School (96% 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.

Christ The King RC Primary SchoolBroadoak Primary SchoolDavyhulme Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Manchester?

Yes. Stretford Grammar School and Urmston Grammar Academy are state grammar schools in Manchester. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Stretford Grammar SchoolUrmston Grammar Academy

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Bury and Salford published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Chapelfield Primary School, 2.064 miles for 2026 entry; Co-op Academy Walkden, 2.27 miles for 2026 entry; Ellesmere Park High School, 1.175 miles for 2026 entry; Moorside High School, 1.077 miles for 2026 entry; Parrenthorn High School, 1.803 miles for 2026 entry. We hold figures for 31 schools in Manchester; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Chapelfield Primary SchoolCo-op Academy WalkdenEllesmere Park High SchoolMoorside High SchoolParrenthorn High School

Source: Bury admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Manchester?

Apply to your council - Manchester, Salford or Trafford, 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.