The City Academy Bristol, Bristol

In its own words: "Thank you for considering City Academy as a future school for your child. I have the privilege of being the Principal and working with a highly committed group of staff to get the best outcomes for all our students. City Academy Bristol is a vibrant, diverse and dynamic academy in the centre of Bristol."

In 2026, pupils at The City Academy Bristol averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46 in Bristol, City of; and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Bristol, City of; and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 38.5.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.07: pupils made about 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 33.7, against 44 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Religious Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 127 families put The City Academy Bristol as their first choice and 261 named it as one of their preferences, for 174 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The City Academy Bristol are Fairfield High School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3); Prospect Education Trust (1.4 miles); E-ACT Montpelier High School (1.4 miles, Attainment 8 57.6); and St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School (1.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 52.6).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than The City Academy Bristol.

The City Academy Bristol is one of 36 schools run by Cabot Learning Federation, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5 in 2024/25.

59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The City Academy Bristol (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 55% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (55%).

Of the 190 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 28% to a further education college and 1% into work.

47.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 43.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Black (28%), White British (19%) and Asian (18%).

The City Academy Bristol has a resourced provision and a SEN unit (25 places, 25 pupils on roll) for speech, language and communication needs, autism and moderate learning difficulties.

The City Academy Bristol had 76 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Lawrence Hill Rail Station, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Russell Town Avenue (n-bound), 110 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 913 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bristol, City of (417), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The City Academy Bristol issued 1085 suspensions, 111.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The City Academy Bristol are E-ACT Bannerman Road Community Academy (0.3 miles), Redfield Educate Together Primary Academy (0.3 miles), Whitehall Primary School (0.4 miles) and St Patrick's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.