Best Schools in Wakefield

How many schools are there in Wakefield?

Wakefield has 78 open schools: 53 state primary, 10 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 8 special and 6 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Wakefield are rated Outstanding?

10 schools in Wakefield were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hall Cliffe Primary School, Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate, Trinity Academy Cathedral, CAPA College, Crigglestone Nursery School and 5 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 69 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.

Hall Cliffe Primary SchoolOutwood Primary Academy Lofthouse GateTrinity Academy CathedralCAPA CollegeCrigglestone Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Wakefield get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Wakefield with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Woodkirk Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.3 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Horbury Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 51 and 53% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Trinity Academy Cathedral, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.9 and 53% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Woodkirk AcademyHorbury AcademyTrinity Academy Cathedral

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Wakefield have the best SATs results?

Of the 50 primary schools in Wakefield with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Newton Hill Community School (94% in reading, 97% in maths); Middlestown Primary Academy (95% in reading, 95% in maths); and Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate (93% in reading, 97% 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.

Newton Hill Community SchoolMiddlestown Primary AcademyOutwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Wakefield?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Wakefield have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Wakefield 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 Wakefield?

Apply to your council - Wakefield, Leeds or Kirklees, 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.