#1Bowdon
Greater Manchester · 6,107 peopleBetter than almost every UK town·#1 of 81 in Greater Manchester
Bowdon, #1 on this list · Photo: David Long · CC BY-SA 2.0England · Schools
Towns with the best schools in England
Bowdon, Greater Manchester, ranks first on schools among 1,973 towns and cities of 2,500+ in England; 453 of the 1,973 grade A− or better against UK towns. Welsh towns aren’t on this list: Wales doesn’t publish school-level results, so they have no School Grade. Nor are Scottish towns: their School Grades are ranked within Scotland, so they’re on their own council areas’ lists instead.
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 county rank sits beside each letter. How grades work
#1A+
#2Gnosall
Staffordshire · 4,039 peopleBetter than almost every UK town·#1 of 46 in Staffordshire
#T3Collingham
Nottinghamshire · 2,870 peopleBetter than almost every UK town·#1 of 49 in Nottinghamshire
The top 100
Schools grade, best first; towns with the same score share a rank (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each county rank links to that county’s list.
100 towns on this page. Counties with 15 or more towns have their own list.
#TownGrade · county rankCompared with UK towns
1BowdonGreater Manchester · 6,107 peopleA+#1 of 81 in Greater Manchesterbetter than almost every UK town
T3CollinghamNottinghamshire · 2,870 peopleA+#1 of 49 in Nottinghamshirebetter than almost every UK town
T3Little ChalfontBuckinghamshire · 6,506 peopleA+#1 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than almost every UK town
7AmershamBuckinghamshire · 17,377 peopleA+#2 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than almost every UK town
T8ChorleywoodHertfordshire · 12,632 peopleA+#1 of 50 in Hertfordshirebetter than almost every UK town
T12Histon and ImpingtonCambridgeshire · 7,781 peopleA+#1 of 50 in Cambridgeshirebetter than almost every UK town
16HaltwhistleNorthumberland · 3,646 peopleA+#1 of 19 in Northumberlandbetter than almost every UK town
T17AddinghamWest Yorkshire · 3,247 peopleA+#1 of 91 in West Yorkshirebetter than almost every UK town
T17Great GlenLeicestershire · 4,062 peopleA+#2 of 50 in Leicestershirebetter than almost every UK town
T20BeaconsfieldBuckinghamshire · 14,142 peopleA+#3 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than 98% of UK towns
23Cheadle HulmeGreater Manchester · 24,782 peopleA+#2 of 81 in Greater Manchesterbetter than 98% of UK towns
T40Chalfont St GilesBuckinghamshire · 4,707 peopleA+#4 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T44BrixworthNorthamptonshire · 5,769 peopleA+#1 of 31 in Northamptonshirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T44Burley in WharfedaleWest Yorkshire · 6,806 peopleA+#2 of 91 in West Yorkshirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T51AltrinchamGreater Manchester · 49,672 peopleA+#4 of 81 in Greater Manchesterbetter than 97% of UK towns
T51Ingleby BarwickNorth Yorkshire · 23,380 peopleA+#1 of 54 in North Yorkshirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T53HaleGreater Manchester · 16,716 peopleA+#5 of 81 in Greater Manchesterbetter than 96% of UK towns
T53Royal Sutton ColdfieldWest Midlands · 93,392 peopleA+#1 of 35 in West Midlandsbetter than 96% of UK towns
T60Knowle and DorridgeWest Midlands · 19,323 peopleA+#2 of 35 in West Midlandsbetter than 96% of UK towns
T60West BridgfordNottinghamshire · 36,489 peopleA+#3 of 49 in Nottinghamshirebetter than 96% of UK towns
76Long BuckbyNorthamptonshire · 3,821 peopleA#2 of 31 in Northamptonshirebetter than 95% of UK towns
T79Bishop's StortfordHertfordshire · 40,916 peopleA#6 of 50 in Hertfordshirebetter than 95% of UK towns
T79Marlow BottomBuckinghamshire · 3,339 peopleA#5 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than 95% of UK towns
T100BramhallGreater Manchester · 17,201 peopleA#6 of 81 in Greater Manchesterbetter than 94% of UK towns
Not ranked
Not on this list
22 military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students. 180 towns have no schools grade: Wales doesn’t publish school-level results. 4 towns have no schools grade: no state school with published results in or within 3 km.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which town in England has the best schools?
Bowdon, Greater Manchester ranks first on schools among 1,973 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Gnosall, Staffordshire and Collingham, Nottinghamshire 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. Every town of 2,500+ is ranked here; each county with 15 or more such towns has its own list, linked below.
County by county
Towns with the best schools, county by county
AberdeenshireBedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexFifeGloucestershireGreater ManchesterHampshireHertfordshireHighlandKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideNorfolkNorth LanarkshireNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth LanarkshireSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire
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.