Ivybridge, #1 on this list · Photo: Ruth Sharville · CC BY-SA 2.0

Devon rankings · Schools

Towns with the best schools in Devon

Ivybridge ranks first on schools among Devon’s 47 towns of 2,500+; 5 of the 47 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

Ivybridge

12,485 people

Better than 94% of UK towns·#93 of 1,973 in England

Seaton

7,429 people

Better than 92% of UK towns·#132 of 1,973 in England

Brixham

17,839 people

Better than 87% of UK towns·#234 of 1,973 in England

All 47 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 Devon →

Find a town

47 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Ivybridge12,485 peopleA#93 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

2Seaton7,429 peopleA#132 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

3Brixham17,839 peopleA#234 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

4Totnes9,217 peopleA⁻#412 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns

5Kingsbridge5,682 peopleA⁻#432 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

6Kingskerswell3,761 peopleB⁺#454 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

7Chudleigh4,372 peopleB⁺#462 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

8Ottery St Mary6,043 peopleB⁺#475 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

9Plymouth266,970 peopleB⁺#513 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

10Paignton67,509 peopleB⁺#515 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

11Willand3,477 peopleB⁺#617 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns

12Braunton6,610 peopleB#671 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 64% of UK towns

13Sidmouth13,258 peopleB#723 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns

14Topsham4,193 peopleB#771 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

15Ashburton3,368 peopleB#813 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

16Crediton7,971 peopleB#851 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns

17Exminster4,388 peopleB⁻#870 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 55% of UK towns

18Torquay52,034 peopleB⁻#944 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 51% of UK towns

19Combe Martin2,707 peopleB⁻#984 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns

20Exeter126,181 peopleB⁻#1,005 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

21Kingsteignton11,945 peopleB⁻#1,027 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns

22Cranbrook4,936 peopleC⁺#1,170 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

23Barnstaple31,271 peopleC⁺#1,190 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

24West Clyst2,683 peopleC⁺#1,195 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

T25Fremington5,229 peopleC⁺#1,202 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

T25Honiton12,155 peopleC⁺#1,202 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

27Ilfracombe9,199 peopleC⁺#1,247 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns

28Buckfastleigh2,720 peopleC#1,398 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns

29South Molton6,226 peopleC#1,406 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns

30Newton Abbot29,650 peopleC#1,478 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns

31Cullompton8,895 peopleC⁻#1,504 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

32Teignmouth15,314 peopleC⁻#1,572 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 22% of UK towns

33Okehampton9,108 peopleC⁻#1,657 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

34Bovey Tracey6,241 peopleC⁻#1,686 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

35Northam5,191 peopleD#1,715 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 15% of UK towns

36Tavistock12,676 peopleD#1,749 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 13% of UK towns

37Westward Ho!3,468 peopleD#1,765 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

38Bideford19,493 peopleD#1,769 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

39Great Torrington5,958 peopleD#1,776 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

40Dawlish11,800 peopleD#1,791 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 11% of UK towns

41Exmouth35,502 peopleD#1,799 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 11% of UK towns

42Budleigh Salterton5,237 peopleD#1,821 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns

43Dartmouth5,260 peopleD#1,864 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns

44Axminster6,094 peopleD⁻#1,916 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns

45Tiverton19,710 peopleD⁻#1,929 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

46Holsworthy3,472 peopleD⁻#1,932 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

47South Brent2,643 peopleD⁻#1,966 of 1,973 nationallybehind almost every UK town

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Devon has the best schools?

Ivybridge ranks first on schools among 47 towns, with an A: better than 94% of UK towns. Seaton and Brixham 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 Devon’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Devon is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Devon lists

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

All Devon rankings →

Best places to live47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Best small towns30 towns · #1 Ottery St Mary Most affordable towns47 towns · #1 Tiverton Safest towns47 towns · #1 Budleigh Salterton Healthiest towns47 towns · #1 Ottery St Mary Best towns for jobs & income47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Most walkable towns47 towns · #1 Exeter Towns with the lowest flood risk47 towns · #1 West Clyst and Willand Best towns for the outdoors47 towns · #1 Plymouth Most historic towns47 towns · #1 Dartmouth Towns with the most civic life47 towns · #1 Holsworthy Towns with the highest household incomes47 towns · #1 CranbrookDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax47 towns · #1 PlymouthDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers47 towns · #1 Exminster and TopshamDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers47 towns · #1 Combe MartinDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no letters Driest towns47 towns · #1 ExmouthDescribed, no letters Wettest towns47 towns · #1 BuckfastleighDescribed, 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.