Best Schools in North Yorkshire

How many schools are there in North Yorkshire?

North Yorkshire has 462 open schools: 356 state primary, 51 state secondary or all-through, 20 independent, 20 special and 15 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in North Yorkshire are rated Outstanding?

34 schools in North Yorkshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: All Saints Catholic School York, Outwood Primary Academy Alne, Lord Deramore's Primary School, Woodthorpe Primary School, Cambrai Primary School and 29 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 381 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.

All Saints Catholic School YorkOutwood Primary Academy AlneLord Deramore's Primary SchoolWoodthorpe Primary SchoolCambrai Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in North Yorkshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 55 schools in North Yorkshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Ripon Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 69.9 and 92% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Skipton Girls' High School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 67.5 and 87% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Ermysted's Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 64.3 and 84% 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.

Ripon Grammar SchoolSkipton Girls' High SchoolErmysted's Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in North Yorkshire have the best SATs results?

7 of the 299 primary schools in North Yorkshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Birstwith Church of England Primary School, Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School and Newcomen Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Birstwith Church of England Primary SchoolMiddleton Tyas Church of England Primary SchoolNewcomen Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in North Yorkshire?

Yes. Ermysted's Grammar School, Ripon Grammar School and Skipton Girls' High School are state grammar schools in North Yorkshire. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Ermysted's Grammar SchoolRipon Grammar SchoolSkipton Girls' High School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Middlesbrough published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Outwood Academy Riverside, 1.055 miles for 2024 entry; St Clare's RC Primary School, 0.238 miles for 2023 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Outwood Academy RiversideSt Clare's RC Primary School

Source: Middlesbrough admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in North Yorkshire?

Apply to your council - North Yorkshire, York or Redcar and Cleveland, 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.