Best Schools in Rugby

How many schools are there in Rugby?

Rugby has 52 open schools: 35 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent and 4 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Rugby are rated Outstanding?

7 schools in Rugby were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Riverside Academy, Avon Park School, Eastlands Primary School, Lawrence Sheriff School, Abbots Farm Junior School and 2 more. Counting Good as well, 88% of the 40 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.

Riverside AcademyAvon Park SchoolEastlands Primary SchoolLawrence Sheriff SchoolAbbots Farm Junior School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Rugby get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Rugby with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Rugby High School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 77.1 and 100% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Lawrence Sheriff School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.7 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Ashlawn School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.2 and 56% 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.

Rugby High SchoolLawrence Sheriff SchoolAshlawn School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Rugby have the best SATs results?

Of the 25 primary schools in Rugby with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Eastlands Primary School (88% in reading, 90% in maths); St Gabriel's CofE Academy (88% in reading, 87% in maths); and Riverside Academy (87% in reading, 83% 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.

Eastlands Primary SchoolSt Gabriel's CofE AcademyRiverside Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Rugby?

Yes. Lawrence Sheriff School and Rugby High School are state grammar schools in Rugby. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Lawrence Sheriff SchoolRugby High School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Rugby have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Rugby 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 Rugby?

Apply to your council - Warwickshire 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.