Best Schools in Thirsk

How many schools are there in Thirsk?

Thirsk has 17 open schools: 13 state primary, 1 state secondary or all-through, 2 independent and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Thirsk are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Thirsk was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Dishforth Airfield Community Primary School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 12 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.

Dishforth Airfield Community Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Thirsk get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Thirsk with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Thirsk School & Sixth Form College, with an Attainment 8 score of 38.4 and 23% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Breckenbrough School, with an Attainment 8 score of 29.8 and 0% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Thirsk School & Sixth Form CollegeBreckenbrough School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Thirsk have the best SATs results?

Of the 10 primary schools in Thirsk with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at South Kilvington Church of England Academy (92% in reading, 92% in maths); Dishforth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (93% in reading, 79% in maths); and Dishforth Airfield Community Primary School (80% in reading, 90% 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.

South Kilvington Church of England AcademyDishforth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolDishforth Airfield Community Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Thirsk?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Thirsk have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Thirsk have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, North Yorkshire 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 Thirsk?

Apply to North Yorkshire 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.