Barnard Castle, #1 on this list · Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0

County Durham rankings · Schools

Towns with the best schools in County Durham

Barnard Castle ranks first on schools among County Durham’s 52 towns of 2,500+; 12 of the 52 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The School Grade (England only): Key Stage 2 and GCSE results of the state schools in the town (or within 3 km), weighted by pupils and measured against England’s schools. The rank across England sits beside each letter. How grades work

Barnard Castle

5,783 people

A⁺

Better than 98% of UK towns·#25 of 1,973 in England

Egglescliffe

10,250 people

Better than 95% of UK towns·#82 of 1,973 in England

Coxhoe

4,542 people

Better than 94% of UK towns·#103 of 1,973 in England

All 52 towns, ranked

Schools grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England links to the national list.

Every town in County Durham →

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52 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Barnard Castle5,783 peopleA⁺#25 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

2Egglescliffe10,250 peopleA#82 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns

3Coxhoe4,542 peopleA#103 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

4Durham50,502 peopleA#140 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

5Sedgefield4,979 peopleA#143 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

6Bowburn4,843 peopleA#168 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns

7Great Lumley3,627 peopleA⁻#325 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns

8Chester-le-Street23,554 peopleA⁻#332 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns

9Dipton2,653 peopleA⁻#361 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns

10Shotton Colliery4,943 peopleA⁻#381 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

11Wheatley Hill3,148 peopleA⁻#423 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns

12Brandon9,508 peopleA⁻#428 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

13South Hetton2,877 peopleB⁺#472 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

14Lanchester3,510 peopleB⁺#473 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

15Burnopfield2,998 peopleB⁺#531 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

16Murton7,239 peopleB⁺#540 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

17Seaham21,660 peopleB⁺#541 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

18Sherburn2,796 peopleB⁺#546 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns

19Middleton St George4,756 peopleB⁺#568 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

20Trimdon2,835 peopleB⁺#576 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

21Sacriston5,186 peopleB⁺#636 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns

22Thornley2,543 peopleB#695 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns

23Easington6,968 peopleB#764 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

24Wynyard4,040 peopleB#788 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 59% of UK towns

25Stockton-on-Tees84,824 peopleB#802 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

26Hartlepool88,001 peopleB⁻#920 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

27Stanley19,423 peopleB⁻#967 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

28Ushaw Moor and Bearpark6,483 peopleB⁻#1,056 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns

29Darlington93,022 peopleB⁻#1,058 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns

30Coundon and Leeholme2,522 peopleC⁺#1,103 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns

31Wingate5,033 peopleC⁺#1,159 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

32Spennymoor20,401 peopleC⁺#1,163 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

33Witton Gilbert2,525 peopleC⁺#1,168 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

34Esh Winning3,877 peopleC⁺#1,247 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns

35Horden6,805 peopleC#1,308 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

36Newton Aycliffe25,760 peopleC#1,327 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns

37Billingham33,917 peopleC#1,343 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

38Consett29,874 peopleC#1,371 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 31% of UK towns

39Crook9,717 peopleC#1,381 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 31% of UK towns

40Peterlee19,750 peopleC#1,439 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

41Pelton and Ouston7,305 peopleC#1,446 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

42Ferryhill8,857 peopleC#1,452 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns

43Annfield Plain7,786 peopleC#1,455 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns

44Chilton4,693 peopleC#1,480 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns

45Blackhall Colliery4,577 peopleC⁻#1,501 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

46Leadgate3,339 peopleC⁻#1,545 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

47Willington5,685 peopleC⁻#1,586 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

48Shildon9,650 peopleC⁻#1,605 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns

49Bishop Auckland23,359 peopleC⁻#1,649 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 18% of UK towns

50Hurworth-on-Tees2,667 peopleC⁻#1,666 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

51Langley Park4,031 peopleD#1,742 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

52West Auckland3,107 peopleD#1,814 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in County Durham has the best schools?

Barnard Castle ranks first on schools among 52 towns, with an A+: better than 98% of UK towns. Egglescliffe and Coxhoe follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The School Grade (England only): Key Stage 2 and GCSE results of the state schools in the town (or within 3 km), weighted by pupils and measured against England’s schools. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Welsh towns have no School Grade: Wales doesn’t publish school-level results. Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers County Durham’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in County Durham is on the county page.

Go deeper

More County Durham lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All County Durham rankings →

Best places to live52 towns · #1 Egglescliffe Best small towns38 towns · #1 Sedgefield Most affordable towns52 towns · #1 Stockton-on-Tees Safest towns52 towns · #1 Wynyard Healthiest towns52 towns · #1 Wynyard Best towns for jobs & income52 towns · #1 Wynyard Most walkable towns52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Towns with the lowest flood risk52 towns · #1 Blackhall Colliery and 23 more Best towns for the outdoors52 towns · #1 Seaham Most historic towns52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Towns with the most civic life52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Towns with the highest household incomes52 towns · #1 WynyardDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax52 towns · #1 DarlingtonDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters52 towns · #1 Horden and SeahamDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers52 towns · #1 Stockton-on-TeesDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers52 towns · #1 Consett and LeadgateDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts52 towns · #1 HartlepoolDescribed, no letters Driest towns52 towns · #1 Hartlepool and HordenDescribed, no letters Wettest towns52 towns · #1 Esh WinningDescribed, no letters

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 · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.