Best Schools in Watford

How many schools are there in Watford?

Watford has 53 open schools: 36 state primary, 7 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent, 3 special and 4 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Watford are rated Outstanding?

14 schools in Watford were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Parmiter's School, Watford Grammar School for Girls, Warren Dell Primary School, Nascot Wood Junior School, Holy Rood Catholic Primary School and 9 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 48 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.

Parmiter's SchoolWatford Grammar School for GirlsWarren Dell Primary SchoolNascot Wood Junior SchoolHoly Rood Catholic Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Watford get the best GCSE results?

Of the 6 schools in Watford with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Watford Grammar School for Boys, with an Attainment 8 score of 66.3 and 84% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Watford Grammar School for Girls, with an Attainment 8 score of 65.5 and 80% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Parmiter's School, with an Attainment 8 score of 65 and 78% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Watford Grammar School for BoysWatford Grammar School for GirlsParmiter's School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Watford have the best SATs results?

Of the 29 primary schools in Watford with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Holy Rood Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 94% in maths); Nascot Wood Junior School (98% in reading, 92% in maths); and Kingsway Junior School (90% in reading, 95% 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.

Holy Rood Catholic Primary SchoolNascot Wood Junior SchoolKingsway Junior School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Watford?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Watford have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Watford 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 Watford?

Apply to your council - Hertfordshire or Harrow, 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.