St Michael's Church of England High School, Chorley

In its own words: "Our vision is rooted in the belief that every individual is created and loved by God. We are committed to nurturing the whole person- body, mind and spirit -so that all may experience the joy and hope of "life in all its fullness" (John 10:10)."

From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted to welcome you to St Michael's. As a Church of England Academy in the Diocese of Blackburn, our values are deeply rooted in the Christian faith."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include swimming, Duke of Edinburgh and cheerleading.

In 2026, pupils at St Michael's Church of England High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 60.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.

73% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.

That is up from 58.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.56: 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.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 44, against 62 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 18 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 311 families put St Michael's Church of England High School as their first choice and 770 named it as one of their preferences, for 219 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 94 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Michael's Church of England High School are Parklands High School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.1); Albany Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.1); Southlands High School (1.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.4); and Holy Cross Catholic High School (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55.4).

St Michael's Church of England High School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

St Michael's Church of England High School is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 225 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

3.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 80 pupils (7.1%) received SEN support and 31 (2.7%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Chorley Rail Station, about 1100 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Michaels CEHS (by), 90 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Michael's Church of England High School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 265 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Michael's Church of England High School issued 40 suspensions, 3.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Michael's Church of England High School are Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School (0.2 miles); Buckshaw Primary School (0.4 miles); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Chorley (0.6 miles); and St Peter's CofE Primary School Chorley (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.