Oxford’s state schools get better results than 57% of towns in England
Oxford’s secondaries average an Attainment 8 score of 48.3 across eight GCSEs, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (45.5) and towns in England (45.9). 53 state-funded schools are located in Oxford’s built-up area. Oxford grades B for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #17 of 38 in Oxfordshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
33 of Oxford’s 53 state schools belong to 8 academy trusts. River Learning Trust runs 13 of them, including Cheney, The Cherwell, The Oxford and The Swan: 5,848 of the 9,123 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Oxford grades B for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (60% meet the standard)Better than 43% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (48.3 and 50%)Better than 67% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Oxford; the primary figure holds it back.
Each of Oxford’s 34 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Oxford’s 7 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolOxfordshire’s average school
The primary figure: 35 primaries in the town, 4,355 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 7 secondaries in the town, 1,430 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Oxford’s 53 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Oxford’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 7 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 4% at St Philip and James' Church of England Aided Primary School Oxford to 54% at Rose Hill Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, Wolvercote Primary School does best: 84% with 10% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 66%. 14 of 34 primaries and 2 of 7 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Oxford
Oxfordshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Oxford, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to 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. 20 of Oxford’s 42 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.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 7 schools are at or over it.
Oxford Spires129%
The Cherwell109%
Wolvercote incl. nursery107%
Cheney106%
Pegasus incl. nursery104%
Matthew Arnold103%
Our Lady's Roman incl. nursery101%
St Andrew's99%
Windmill99%
North Hinksey98%
Show all 42 schools
Larkrise incl. nursery96%
Church Cowley St James incl. nursery96%
St Mary and St John95%
John Henry Newman incl. nursery93%
St Philip and James'93%
St John Fisher incl. nursery92%
St Nicholas' incl. nursery91%
Wood Farm91%
Botley incl. nursery90%
St Michael's90%
St Joseph's90%
St Francis incl. nursery89%
East Oxford incl. nursery88%
St Ebbe's84%
The Swan84%
West Oxford incl. nursery82%
New Hinksey81%
St Frideswide incl. nursery79%
New Marston incl. nursery78%
St Aloysius' incl. nursery76%
The Oxford76%
St Christopher's75%
Cutteslowe incl. nursery72%
Tyndale Community67%
St Barnabas' incl. nursery64%
Rose Hill incl. nursery64%
Barton Park incl. nursery61%
Sandhills incl. nursery58%
Greyfriars56%
Bayards Hill incl. nursery52%
Windale incl. nursery47%
Orchard Meadow incl. nursery44%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
53 state schools in Oxford
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Oxford’s schoolsA9B14C12D711 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 2Good 20Report card 5Requires improvement 2Ungraded inspection only 24
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 5 of Oxford’s 53 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
River Learning TrustThe Cherwell, Cheney, The Oxford, The Swan, Larkrise, Wolvercote, Cutteslowe, Rose Hill, New Marston, Bayards Hill, Barton Park, Sandhills, Meadowbrook College
13
8,077
AB−D−AC+A+C+D−BC−CC−
Oxford Diocesan Schools TrustJohn Henry Newman, St Frideswide, St Christopher's, Tyndale Community, St Francis, North Hinksey
Pope Francis Catholic Multi Academy CompanyGreyfriars, Our Lady's Roman, St John Fisher
3
1,229
DA−B
United Learning TrustPegasus, Orchard Meadow, Windale
3
884
CDB
Acer TrustMatthew Arnold, Botley
2
1,444
BD
Anthem Schools TrustOxford Spires
1
1,351
B
Macintyre AcademiesEndeavour Academy, Oxford
1
32
—
Oxfordshire County CouncilWindmill, Church Cowley St James, St Mary and St John, St Philip and James', St Nicholas', Wood Farm, St Joseph's, East Oxford, St Ebbe's, St Andrew's, West Oxford, St Michael's, St Aloysius', St Barnabas', Slade Nursery, New Hinksey, Headington Quarry Nursery, Grandpont Nursery, Comper Nursery, Oxfordshire Hospital
20
4,843
B−CC+A−B−B−B+A−B−B+A−AB−BC
After 16
Where Oxford’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
Every state secondary in Oxford has its own sixth form. Ruskin College, a further-education college, is in the city. Activate Learning, a further-education college, is in the city.
Abingdon and Witney CollegeFurther-education college · OX14 1GG
5.3 mi
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Oxford
Oxford has 6 special schools (Endeavour Academy, Oxford, Mabel Prichard, Northern House, Orion, Oxfordshire Hospital and The Iffley: 495 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Oxfordshire County Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Oxfordshire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
25th of 37 English towns and cities of 120,000 to 231,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Oxford, and the top and bottom of the group.
Kennington 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.5 mi
C−
60%
39
Horspath 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.9 mi
B
58%
51.4
Garsington 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.4 mi
D
58%
31.2
Wolvercote 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.6 mi
A+
71%
58.9
Chawley 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.9 mi
B
62%
48.6
Wheatley 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.1 mi
B+
59%
55.8
Radley 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.2 mi
B
65%
45.5
Wolvercote has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Oxford: 10% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Oxford
Are schools in Oxford good?
Oxford’s state schools earn a B against schools across England: primary results beat 43% of towns in England; secondary results beat 67% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Oxfordshire council.
What is the best secondary school in Oxford?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, The Swan School: Attainment 8 of 60.1 and 73% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Oxford?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Wolvercote Primary School: 84% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Oxford secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, all 7 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Oxford?
Through Oxfordshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Oxford are full?
7 of 42 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Oxford?
53 open state-funded schools are located in Oxford’s built-up area: 35 primary, 7 secondary and 11 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
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 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
