secondary results put Cambridge’s state schools ahead of 96% of towns in England; primary results, of 61%
Cambridge’s secondaries average an Attainment 8 score of 57.8 across eight GCSEs, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (49.4) and towns in England (45.9). Cambridge grades A− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #9 of 50 in Cambridgeshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Cambridge’s secondary results beat 96% of English towns; its primary results beat 61%. 64% of the city’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 59% across Cambridgeshire. The spread between primaries is wide: 84% at St Alban's Catholic Primary School, 46% at Shirley Community Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Kings Hedges beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Kings Hedges Primary School, 39% of pupils are on free school meals and 78% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 58%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Cambridge grades A− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (64% meet the standard)Better than 61% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (57.8 and 66%)Better than 96% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Cambridge; the primary figure holds it back.
Each of Cambridge’s 28 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Cambridge’s 7 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolCambridgeshire’s average school
The primary figure: 28 primaries in the town, 3,464 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 7 secondaries in the town, 1,042 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Cambridge’s 46 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Cambridge’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 7 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 4% at St Alban's Catholic Primary School to 52% at North Cambridge Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Kings Hedges Primary School does best: 78% with 39% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 58%. 13 of 28 primaries and 6 of 7 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Cambridge
Cambridgeshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Cambridge, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 8 of Cambridge’s 35 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 6 schools are at or over it.
Colville incl. nursery105%
St Bede's Inter-Church104%
Chesterton Community College102%
Parkside Community College101%
Milton Road101%
Queen Emma100%
Newnham Croft100%
Cherry Hinton incl. nursery98%
Ridgefield98%
St Alban's98%
Show all 34 schools
St Matthew's incl. nursery95%
Mayfield95%
Queen Edith94%
Park Street93%
Kings Hedges93%
Bewick Bridge93%
Coleridge Community College92%
North Cambridge92%
Arbury90%
Trumpington Meadows90%
Morley Memorial88%
Fawcett incl. nursery85%
The Spinney84%
The Netherhall84%
Chesterton82%
Orchard Park78%
St Pauls72%
Shirley72%
St Laurence69%
Trumpington Park66%
St Philip's63%
St Luke's56%
The Grove53%
The Galfrid47%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
46 state schools in Cambridge
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Cambridge’s schoolsA14B7C13D111 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 1Good 12Report card 10Requires improvement 2Ungraded inspection only 18No published grade 3
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 10 of Cambridge’s 46 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
United Learning TrustParkside Community College, Trumpington Community College, Coleridge Community College, Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, The Galfrid
5
2,499
A+AAC−
Eastern Learning AllianceChesterton Community College, Cambridge Maths
2
1,225
A
Meridian TrustNorth Cambridge, Trumpington Park
2
1,102
B−B+
Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Multi Academy TrustSt Laurence, St Alban's
2
421
C−A+
Anglian LearningThe Netherhall
1
1,259
B
St Bede's Inter Church SchoolSt Bede's Inter-Church
1
943
A
City of Cambridge Education FoundationRidgefield
1
205
A
Active Learning Trust LimitedChesterton
1
173
C+
Grace SchoolsSt Luke's
1
59
A−
Olive AcademiesOA
1
5
—
Hills Education Trust LimitedHills Road Sixth Form College
1
0
—
Sixth Form Colleges TrustLong Road Sixth Form College
1
0
—
Cambridgeshire County CouncilSt Matthew's, Milton Road, Mayfield, Queen Edith, Queen Emma, Kings Hedges, Arbury, Morley Memorial, Fawcett, Shirley, Trumpington Meadows, Castle School, Cambridge, The Grove, Bewick Bridge, Colville, Newnham Croft, St Philip's, Orchard Park, Cherry Hinton, The Spinney, St Pauls, Park Street, Homerton Early Years Centre, Brunswick Nursery, Colleges Nursery, The Fields Nursery, King's Hedges Nursery
27
6,758
A−A−C+B−B−ABC+C+DCC−ACA−C−C−CA−C−B+
After 16
Where Cambridge’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
2 of Cambridge’s 7 state secondaries have sixth forms: Chesterton Community College and The Netherhall. Cambridge Maths School, Hills Road Sixth Form College and Long Road Sixth Form College are state 16–19 schools in the city. The nearest college is Cambridge Regional College, a further-education college 2.2 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
2 of 7
state schools in Cambridge
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: Cambridge Regional College
Grammar schools in Cambridgeshire
0
no selective state secondaries
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Cambridge
Cambridge has 1 special school (Castle School, Cambridge: 233 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Cambridgeshire County Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Cambridgeshire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
10th of 47 English towns and cities of 107,000 to 206,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Cambridge, and the top and bottom of the group.
Hauxton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.1 mi
B
64%
—
Harston 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.8 mi
C+
59%
—
Histon and Impington has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Cambridge: 11% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Cambridge
Are schools in Cambridge good?
Cambridge’s state schools earn an A− against schools across England: primary results beat 61% of towns in England; secondary results beat 96% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Cambridgeshire council.
What is the best secondary school in Cambridge?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Parkside Community College: Attainment 8 of 65.9 and 82% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Cambridge?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Alban's Catholic Primary School: 84% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Cambridge secondary schools have sixth forms?
2 of 7 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Cambridge?
Through Cambridgeshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Cambridge are full?
6 of 34 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Cambridge?
46 open state-funded schools are located in Cambridge’s built-up area: 28 primary, 7 secondary and 11 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
