Best Schools in Market Harborough

How many schools are there in Market Harborough?

Market Harborough has 20 open schools: 16 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Market Harborough are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Market Harborough was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 16 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.

Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Market Harborough get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Market Harborough with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Robert Smyth Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 55.1 and 68% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Welland Park Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.3 and 61% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The Robert Smyth AcademyWelland Park Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Market Harborough have the best SATs results?

Of the 15 primary schools in Market Harborough with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Bringhurst Primary School (92% in reading, 92% in maths); and Market Harborough Church of England Academy (93% in reading, 87% 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.

Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolBringhurst Primary SchoolMarket Harborough Church of England Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Market Harborough?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Market Harborough have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Market Harborough 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 Market Harborough?

Apply to your council - Leicestershire, North Northamptonshire or West Northamptonshire, 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.