Primary schools4 · phase from the school’s name
Photo: Nilfanion · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Schools in Caernarfon · Welsh Government, DfE register
State schools in Caernarfon
83% of Caernarfon’s schools teach in Welsh, below Gwynedd’s towns (100%) but above Wales’s schools (22%). 6 state-funded schools are located in Caernarfon’s built-up area, 5 of them teaching in Welsh. Wales doesn’t publish school-level results comparable with England’s Key Stage 2 and GCSE tables, so Welsh towns have no School Grade; Caernarfon’s overall grade uses its other subjects.
State schools
6
4 primary, 1 secondary
Pupils
1,894
Welsh Government school census
Welsh-medium
5 of 5
mainstream schools
School Grade
Not graded
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results
What stands out about Caernarfon’s schools
5 of 5mainstream schools teach in Welsh; across Wales 29% do0 of 1state secondary has a sixth form2faith schools (Church in Wales or Catholic)
More Welsh-medium than most of Wales
100% of Caernarfon’s mainstream schools teach mainly in Welsh, against 29% across Wales. Families choose either, whatever language they speak at home. Welsh and English ↓
No school sixth forms
None of Caernarfon’s state secondaries teaches past 16; students go on to a further-education college or a sixth form elsewhere. After 16 ↓
Faith schools
Ysgol Gynradd Maesincla and Ysgol Santes Helen have a religious character; some give priority by church attendance when full. Getting a place ↓
Written from the Welsh Government’s list of schools and DfE’s register on this page.
Map
Where Caernarfon’s 6 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its teaching language and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Caernarfon’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsWelsh-mediumDual languageEnglish-medium
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Welsh and English
Which language Caernarfon’s schools teach in
Mainstream state schools by the Welsh Government’s language category. The black tick is the share across Wales.
Welsh-medium 5100%
Dual language 00%
English-medium 00%
4 Welsh-medium primaries and 1 Welsh-medium secondary (Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen) in Caernarfon. Welsh-medium schools teach mainly in Welsh and bring pupils to fluency in both languages; English-medium schools teach Welsh as a subject; dual-language schools teach in both.
Getting a place
How school places work in Caernarfon
Gwynedd Council handles applications for every state school in Caernarfon. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Starting school or moving to secondaryApply to Gwynedd Council. Each Welsh council sets its own closing dates, usually in the autumn or winter before a September start.
Welsh-medium or English-mediumFamilies choose. Welsh-medium schools take children from homes that speak no Welsh, and teach them in Welsh from the start.
Moving mid-yearAsk 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. 2 of Caernarfon’s 5 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.
The schools
6 state schools in Caernarfon
Every state school in Caernarfon, from DfE’s register of schools (GIAS) and the Welsh Government’s list of schools (pupils, language). Wales publishes no school-level results. Each school has its own page.
Secondary schools1 · phase from the school’s name
Other schools1 · special, nursery, sixth form, or a phase DfE’s register doesn’t give
Pupils: Welsh Government school census, as in its April 2026 list of schools.
After 16
Where Caernarfon’s teenagers go at 16
Young people in Wales can leave education at 16; most stay on at a sixth form or a further-education college.
The state secondary in Caernarfon teaches 11 to 16. Further-education colleges in Wales aren’t in DfE’s register, so they aren’t listed here.
Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 1
state schools in Caernarfon
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Caernarfon
Caernarfon has 1 special school (Ysgol Pendalar: 115 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an individual development plan (IDP), Gwynedd Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. Their cards ↑
Gwynedd Council’s additional learning needs (ALN) pages list support beyond these schools.
Neighbours
Caernarfon and the places around it
State schools and Welsh-medium schools in the built-up areas around Caernarfon.
BethelLlanrugY FelinheliClwt-y-bontGaerwenLlanberisPenygroesCaernarfon
| Town | Schools | Welsh-medium |
|---|---|---|
| Caernarfon 6 schools | 6 | 5 |
| Bethel 1 school · 3.1 mi | 1 | 1 |
| Llanrug 2 schools · 3.2 mi | 2 | 2 |
| Y Felinheli 1 school · 3.8 mi | 1 | 1 |
| Clwt-y-bont 1 school · 5.6 mi | 1 | 1 |
| Gaerwen 1 school · 5.7 mi | 1 | 1 |
| Llanberis 1 school · 5.8 mi | 1 | 1 |
| Penygroes 2 schools · 6 mi | 2 | 2 |
How to read these numbers
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results
- Not published in Wales. England publishes each school’s Key Stage 2 and GCSE results; Wales publishes no school-level results tables comparable with them. Estyn inspects Welsh schools and publishes a report on each, without a one-word judgement. So we list Caernarfon’s schools and leave the School Grade out, rather than grade Welsh towns on a different measure.
- Estyn. Each school’s latest inspection report is on Estyn’s website: search by the school’s name. estyn.gov.wales ↗
Questions about schools in Caernarfon
Are schools in Caernarfon good?
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results, so Welsh towns, Caernarfon among them, have no School Grade. The overall grade uses the other subjects.
How many state schools are in Caernarfon?
6 open state-funded schools are located in Caernarfon’s built-up area: 4 primary, 1 secondary and 1 other.
Are there Welsh-medium schools in Caernarfon?
Yes: 5 of 5 mainstream schools teach mainly in Welsh, including Ysgol Gynradd Maesincla, Ysgol Santes Helen and Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen.
How do I apply for a school place in Caernarfon?
Through Gwynedd Council, which sets its own closing dates for primary and secondary places.
Why do Caernarfon’s schools have no grades?
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results comparable with England’s tests and GCSE tables, so we don’t grade Welsh schools or towns on schools. Estyn publishes an inspection report on each school.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Welsh establishments; Welsh Government address list of schools in Wales (April 2026: language, sector, pupils). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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