Best Schools in Southampton

How many schools are there in Southampton?

Southampton has 159 open schools: 108 state primary, 24 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent, 17 special and 7 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Southampton are rated Outstanding?

20 schools in Southampton were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Itchen College, The Serendipity School, Cantell School, Hazel Wood Infant School, Great Oaks School and 15 more. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 143 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.

Itchen CollegeThe Serendipity SchoolCantell SchoolHazel Wood Infant SchoolGreat Oaks School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Southampton get the best GCSE results?

Of the 25 schools in Southampton with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College Southampton, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.8 and 67% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; St Anne's Catholic School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.4 and 67% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Swanmore College, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.6 and 49% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College SouthamptonSt Anne's Catholic SchoolSwanmore College

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Southampton have the best SATs results?

Of the 79 primary schools in Southampton with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Portswood Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); Springhill Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); and Hook-With-Warsash Church of England Academy (91% in reading, 94% 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.

Portswood Primary SchoolSpringhill Catholic Primary SchoolHook-With-Warsash Church of England Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Southampton?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Southampton have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Southampton 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 Southampton?

Apply to your council - Southampton or Hampshire, 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.