Best Schools in Worthing

How many schools are there in Worthing?

Worthing has 38 open schools: 24 state primary, 6 state secondary or all-through, 2 independent and 6 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Worthing are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Worthing was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 32 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.

Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Worthing get the best GCSE results?

Of the 6 schools in Worthing with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Oscar Romero Catholic School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.2 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.8 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Durrington High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.4 and 51% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Oscar Romero Catholic SchoolDavison Church of England High School for Girls, WorthingDurrington High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Worthing have the best SATs results?

Of the 20 primary schools in Worthing with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Broadwater CofE Primary School (89% in reading, 87% in maths); Hawthorns Primary School (83% in reading, 92% in maths); and Downsbrook Primary School (83% in reading, 83% 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.

Broadwater CofE Primary SchoolHawthorns Primary SchoolDownsbrook Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Worthing?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Worthing have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Worthing have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, West Sussex 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 Worthing?

Apply to West Sussex 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.