Best Schools in Plymouth

How many schools are there in Plymouth?

Plymouth has 113 open schools: 75 state primary, 20 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent, 8 special and 6 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Plymouth are rated Outstanding?

12 schools in Plymouth were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Mill Ford School, Prince Rock Primary School, High View School, Tor Bridge Primary School, Glen Park Primary School and 7 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 100 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.

Mill Ford SchoolPrince Rock Primary SchoolHigh View SchoolTor Bridge Primary SchoolGlen Park Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Plymouth get the best GCSE results?

Of the 20 schools in Plymouth with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Devonport High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 74.9 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Plymouth High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 65.7 and 92% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Devonport High School for Boys (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 65.1 and 89% 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.

Devonport High School for GirlsPlymouth High School for GirlsDevonport High School for Boys

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Plymouth have the best SATs results?

Of the 71 primary schools in Plymouth with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Mary's Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Glen Park Primary School (95% in reading, 97% in maths); and Mayflower Academy (92% in reading, 95% 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.

St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGlen Park Primary SchoolMayflower Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Plymouth?

Yes. Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls are state grammar schools in Plymouth. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Devonport High School for BoysDevonport High School for GirlsPlymouth High School for Girls

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Plymouth have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Plymouth 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 Plymouth?

Apply to your council - Plymouth or Devon, 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.