Ripon Grammar School, Ripon

In its own words: "Our Values At the heart of a Ripon Grammar School education lie a set of inter-related values which we wish to instil into every student as they start and progress through the school. These values should guide us in all that we do."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include rugby, cricket, tennis, badminton, swimming, drama and orchestra.

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 6pm, an open day on Sunday 13 December 2026, an open day on Wednesday 27 January 2027 at 2pm and an open day on Friday 12 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Ripon Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 69.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in North Yorkshire and 47 across England.

92% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in North Yorkshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 70.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.72: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Ripon Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 165 families put Ripon Grammar School as their first choice and 235 named it as one of their preferences, for 110 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 56 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Ripon Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Ripon Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check North Yorkshire's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

North Yorkshire has 3 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

Of the 129 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 95% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 6% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 144 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 59% went on to university or other higher education, 1% to apprenticeships and 29% into work. 64% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

3.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (76%), Mixed (7%) and Asian (6%).

In 2026, 31 pupils (3.2%) received SEN support and 3 (0.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Ripon Grammar School.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ripon Schools (se-bound), 120 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ripon Grammar School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 78 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in North Yorkshire (9), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ripon Grammar School issued 25 suspensions, 2.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Ripon Grammar School are St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles); Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles); Moorside Primary School & Nursery (0.9 miles); and Ripon Cathedral Church of England Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.