Kendal, #1 on this list · Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0

Cumbria rankings · Schools

Towns with the best schools in Cumbria

Kendal ranks first on schools among Cumbria’s 23 towns of 2,500+; none grades A− or better against UK towns; the best here is a B+.

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

Kendal

28,939 people

B⁺

Better than 71% of UK towns·#534 of 1,973 in England

Ambleside

2,624 people

Better than 61% of UK towns·#744 of 1,973 in England

Brampton

4,187 people

Better than 55% of UK towns·#863 of 1,973 in England

All 23 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 Cumbria →

Find a town

23 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Kendal28,939 peopleB⁺#534 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

2Ambleside2,624 peopleB#744 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns

3Brampton4,187 peopleB#863 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 55% of UK towns

4Cockermouth8,859 peopleB⁻#967 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

5Grange-over-Sands4,047 peopleB⁻#987 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns

6Keswick4,465 peopleC⁺#1,085 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns

7Dalton-in-Furness7,551 peopleC⁺#1,159 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

8Penrith16,705 peopleC⁺#1,208 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns

9Ulverston11,219 peopleC⁺#1,260 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

10Whitehaven22,952 peopleC#1,298 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

11Egremont5,791 peopleC⁻#1,518 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

12Cleator Moor6,671 peopleD#1,711 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 15% of UK towns

13Windermere4,819 peopleD#1,724 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

14Millom5,690 peopleD#1,730 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

15Barrow-in-Furness55,260 peopleD#1,765 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

16Wigton5,396 peopleD#1,772 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

17Carlisle77,729 peopleD#1,832 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns

18Appleby-in-Westmorland3,233 peopleD#1,842 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns

19Maryport8,526 peopleD#1,886 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 6% of UK towns

20Askam in Furness3,172 peopleD#1,891 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 6% of UK towns

21Workington21,276 peopleD⁻#1,913 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns

22Seaton5,051 peopleD⁻#1,916 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns

23Silloth2,542 peopleD⁻#1,952 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 2% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Cumbria has the best schools?

Kendal ranks first on schools among 23 towns, with a B+: better than 71% of UK towns. Ambleside and Brampton 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 Cumbria’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Cumbria is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Cumbria lists

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

All Cumbria rankings →

Best places to live23 towns · #1 Grange-over-Sands Best small towns16 towns · #1 Grange-over-Sands Most affordable towns23 towns · #1 Cleator Moor Safest towns23 towns · #1 Seaton Healthiest towns23 towns · #1 Keswick Best towns for jobs & income23 towns · #1 Windermere Most walkable towns23 towns · #1 Ambleside Towns with the lowest flood risk23 towns · #1 Millom Best towns for the outdoors23 towns · #1 Keswick Most historic towns23 towns · #1 Appleby-in-Westmorland Towns with the most civic life23 towns · #1 Grange-over-Sands Towns with the highest household incomes23 towns · #1 CockermouthDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax23 towns · #1 CarlisleDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters23 towns · #1 WorkingtonDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers23 towns · #1 CarlisleDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers23 towns · #1 Cleator MoorDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts23 towns · #1 Barrow-in-FurnessDescribed, no letters Driest towns23 towns · #1 CarlisleDescribed, no letters Wettest towns23 towns · #1 AmblesideDescribed, 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.