Best Schools in West Yorkshire

How many schools are there in West Yorkshire?

West Yorkshire has 929 open schools: 683 state primary, 129 state secondary or all-through, 29 independent, 52 special and 36 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in West Yorkshire are rated Outstanding?

116 schools in West Yorkshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Greenhead College, Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, England Lane Academy, Ebor Gardens Primary Academy, Moor End Academy and 111 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 771 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.

Greenhead CollegeNotre Dame Catholic Sixth Form CollegeEngland Lane AcademyEbor Gardens Primary AcademyMoor End Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in West Yorkshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 131 schools in West Yorkshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Heckmondwike Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 78.9 and 100% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Crossley Heath School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 73.2 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The North Halifax Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 69.6 and 94% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Heckmondwike Grammar SchoolThe Crossley Heath SchoolThe North Halifax Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in West Yorkshire have the best SATs results?

5 of the 612 primary schools in West Yorkshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Askwith Primary School, Colden Junior and Infant School and Crossley Street Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Askwith Primary SchoolColden Junior and Infant SchoolCrossley Street Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in West Yorkshire?

Yes. Heckmondwike Grammar School, The Crossley Heath School and The North Halifax Grammar School are state grammar schools in West Yorkshire. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Heckmondwike Grammar SchoolThe Crossley Heath SchoolThe North Halifax Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in West Yorkshire?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Bradford published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Addingham Primary School, 2.628 miles for 2027 entry; Bankfoot Primary School, 2.496 miles for 2027 entry; Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy, 0.227 miles for 2027 entry; Blakehill Primary School, 0.666 miles for 2027 entry; Burley and Woodhead CofE Primary School, 2.826 miles for 2027 entry. We hold figures for 54 schools in West Yorkshire; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Addingham Primary SchoolBankfoot Primary SchoolBarkerend Primary Leadership AcademyBlakehill Primary SchoolBurley and Woodhead CofE Primary School

Source: Bradford admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in West Yorkshire?

Apply to your council - Leeds, Bradford 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.