Best Schools in Suffolk

How many schools are there in Suffolk?

Suffolk has 356 open schools: 258 state primary, 49 state secondary or all-through, 15 independent, 25 special and 9 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Suffolk are rated Outstanding?

28 schools in Suffolk were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: West Suffolk College, Turnstone House School, Highfield Nursery School, Woods Loke Primary School, Castle EAST School and 23 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 283 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.

West Suffolk CollegeTurnstone House SchoolHighfield Nursery SchoolWoods Loke Primary SchoolCastle EAST School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Suffolk get the best GCSE results?

Of the 47 schools in Suffolk with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Sybil Andrews Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.6 and 60% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Hartismere School, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.4 and 57% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Benedict's Catholic School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.9 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Sybil Andrews AcademyHartismere SchoolSt Benedict's Catholic School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Suffolk have the best SATs results?

Of the 223 primary schools in Suffolk 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); Palgrave Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); and Ditton Lodge Primary School (96% in reading, 100% 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 SchoolPalgrave Church of England Primary SchoolDitton Lodge Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Suffolk?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Suffolk have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Suffolk 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 Suffolk?

Apply to your council - Suffolk, Norfolk or Cambridgeshire, 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.