Makeney, #1 on this list · Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0

Derbyshire rankings · Schools

Towns with the best schools in Derbyshire

Makeney ranks first on schools among Derbyshire’s 59 towns of 2,500+; 9 of the 59 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

Makeney

4,691 people

Better than 93% of UK towns·#113 of 1,973 in England

Etwall

3,080 people

Better than 93% of UK towns·#118 of 1,973 in England

Hilton

8,269 people

Better than 86% of UK towns·#245 of 1,973 in England

All 59 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 Derbyshire →

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59 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Makeney4,691 peopleA#113 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

2Etwall3,080 peopleA#118 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

3Hilton8,269 peopleA#245 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

T4Repton2,766 peopleA#254 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

T4Willington2,717 peopleA#254 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

6Bakewell3,275 peopleA#269 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

7Dronfield21,161 peopleA⁻#322 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns

8Darley Dale3,985 peopleA⁻#342 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

9Brimington11,068 peopleA⁻#373 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

10Melbourne4,860 peopleB⁺#457 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

11Whaley Bridge4,618 peopleB⁺#466 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

12Borrowash7,171 peopleB⁺#473 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

13Whitwell3,722 peopleB⁺#496 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 73% of UK towns

14Wingerworth6,404 peopleB⁺#506 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

15Matlock11,990 peopleB⁺#550 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns

16Sandiacre9,373 peopleB⁺#556 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns

17Creswell5,792 peopleB⁺#619 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns

18Pilsley and Lower Pilsley3,470 peopleB#702 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns

19Hatton2,560 peopleB#716 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns

20Chesterfield76,394 peopleB#830 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 57% of UK towns

21South Normanton and Pinxton16,028 peopleB#841 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns

22Breaston and Draycott7,393 peopleB⁻#917 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

23Old Tupton4,190 peopleB⁻#961 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

24Kilburn and Horsley Woodhouse4,447 peopleB⁻#964 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

25Belper19,076 peopleB⁻#976 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

26Newton and Blackwell3,053 peopleB⁻#1,046 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns

27Grassmoor3,528 peopleC⁺#1,088 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns

28Shirland and Stonebroom3,988 peopleC⁺#1,164 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

29Tibshelf4,352 peopleC⁺#1,192 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

30Ashbourne8,854 peopleC⁺#1,211 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns

31Clowne7,759 peopleC⁺#1,220 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns

32Chapel-en-le-Frith7,235 peopleC⁺#1,276 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 35% of UK towns

33New Mills9,195 peopleC#1,297 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

34Long Eaton37,815 peopleC#1,330 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns

35Wirksworth4,904 peopleC#1,333 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns

36Staveley15,151 peopleC#1,358 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

37Glossop17,820 peopleC#1,360 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

38Heage2,584 peopleC#1,377 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 31% of UK towns

39Barlborough2,859 peopleC#1,426 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

40North Wingfield and Holmewood9,545 peopleC#1,488 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

41Ilkeston38,723 peopleC⁻#1,501 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

42Derby275,561 peopleC⁻#1,523 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

43Ripley20,191 peopleC⁻#1,532 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

44Hadfield16,271 peopleC⁻#1,593 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

45Alfreton8,790 peopleC⁻#1,596 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns

46Buxton20,048 peopleC⁻#1,603 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns

47Gamesley3,124 peopleC⁻#1,625 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 19% of UK towns

48Overseal and Castle Gresley5,055 peopleC⁻#1,657 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

49Bolsover11,228 peopleC⁻#1,672 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

50Somercotes and Swanwick15,105 peopleC⁻#1,682 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

51Heanor24,264 peopleC⁻#1,686 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

52West Hallam5,912 peopleC⁻#1,688 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

53Clay Cross8,915 peopleC⁻#1,698 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

54Swadlincote34,569 peopleD#1,721 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

55Shirebrook11,571 peopleD#1,739 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

56Woodville7,255 peopleD#1,745 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 13% of UK towns

57Killamarsh9,082 peopleD#1,805 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns

58Eckington7,435 peopleD#1,881 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns

59Langwith3,009 peopleD#1,891 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 6% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Derbyshire has the best schools?

Makeney ranks first on schools among 59 towns, with an A: better than 93% of UK towns. Etwall and Hilton 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 Derbyshire’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Derbyshire is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Derbyshire lists

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

All Derbyshire rankings →

Best places to live59 towns · #1 Repton Best small towns40 towns · #1 Repton Most affordable towns59 towns · #1 Swadlincote Safest towns59 towns · #1 Repton Healthiest towns59 towns · #1 Makeney Best towns for jobs & income59 towns · #1 Makeney Most walkable towns59 towns · #1 Bakewell Towns with the lowest flood risk59 towns · #1 Alfreton and 12 more Best towns for the outdoors59 towns · #1 Darley Dale Most historic towns59 towns · #1 Bakewell Towns with the most civic life59 towns · #1 Bakewell Towns with the highest household incomes59 towns · #1 MakeneyDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax59 towns · #1 DerbyDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters59 towns · #1 Long EatonDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers59 towns · #1 Breaston and Draycott and Long EatonDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers59 towns · #1 BuxtonDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts59 towns · #1 DerbyDescribed, no letters Driest towns59 towns · #1 Long EatonDescribed, no letters Wettest towns59 towns · #1 BuxtonDescribed, 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.