Best Schools in Stowmarket

How many schools are there in Stowmarket?

Stowmarket has 25 open schools: 18 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Stowmarket?

None of the 16 graded schools in Stowmarket currently holds an Outstanding rating. 14 are rated Good, so 88% are 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.

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Stowmarket get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Stowmarket with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Debenham High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.5 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Stowmarket High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.5 and 38% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Stowupland High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.1 and 28% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Debenham High SchoolStowmarket High SchoolStowupland High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Stowmarket have the best SATs results?

Of the 15 primary schools in Stowmarket with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Old Newton Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Ringshall School (94% in reading, 94% in maths); and Crawford's Church of England Primary School (92% in reading, 92% 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.

Old Newton Church of England Primary SchoolRingshall SchoolCrawford's Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Stowmarket?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Stowmarket have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Stowmarket have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Suffolk 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 Stowmarket?

Apply to Suffolk 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.