Glemsford, #1 on this list · Photo: Bob Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0

Suffolk rankings · Schools

Towns with the best schools in Suffolk

Glemsford ranks first on schools among Suffolk’s 34 towns of 2,500+; 1 of the 34 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

Glemsford

3,693 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#5 of 1,973 in England

Thurston

3,009 people

B⁺

Better than 72% of UK towns·#518 of 1,973 in England

Kesgrave

14,947 people

B⁺

Better than 71% of UK towns·#528 of 1,973 in England

All 34 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 Suffolk →

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34 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Glemsford3,693 peopleA⁺#5 of 1,973 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

2Thurston3,009 peopleB⁺#518 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

3Kesgrave14,947 peopleB⁺#528 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

4Needham Market5,055 peopleB⁺#579 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

5Woodbridge10,146 peopleB⁺#606 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 68% of UK towns

6Martlesham Heath2,730 peopleB#714 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns

7Framlingham3,831 peopleB#759 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

8Newmarket18,857 peopleB#816 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

9Elmswell4,446 peopleB⁻#914 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

T10Beccles9,807 peopleB⁻#921 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

T10Lowestoft71,308 peopleB⁻#921 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

12Worlingham3,618 peopleB⁻#992 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns

13Hadleigh8,638 peopleB⁻#1,020 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

14Capel St Mary2,992 peopleB⁻#1,056 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns

15Kessingland4,242 peopleC⁺#1,185 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

16Sudbury23,922 peopleC⁺#1,192 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

17Long Melford3,895 peopleC⁺#1,253 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

18Saxmundham4,778 peopleC⁺#1,273 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

19Bury St Edmunds41,279 peopleC#1,324 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns

20Stowmarket21,537 peopleC#1,435 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns

21Ipswich151,566 peopleC⁻#1,526 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

22Haverhill26,704 peopleC⁻#1,651 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 18% of UK towns

23Red Lodge5,771 peopleD#1,727 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 14% of UK towns

24Felixstowe24,218 peopleD#1,754 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 13% of UK towns

25Claydon3,140 peopleD#1,765 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

26Trimley St Mary3,736 peopleD#1,782 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

27Lakenheath4,567 peopleD#1,816 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns

28Rendlesham3,185 peopleD#1,834 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns

29Brandon9,218 peopleD#1,864 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns

30Bungay5,012 peopleD⁻#1,913 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns

31Halesworth4,924 peopleD⁻#1,932 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

32Mildenhall9,684 peopleD⁻#1,935 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

33Leiston5,919 peopleD⁻#1,956 of 1,973 nationallybetter than 2% of UK towns

34Beck Row4,129 peopleD⁻#1,962 of 1,973 nationallybehind almost every UK town

Not ranked

Not on this list

1 military garrison town or university campus keeps its grade but isn’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Little Eriswell 4,120 people. Garrison town.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Suffolk has the best schools?

Glemsford ranks first on schools among 34 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Thurston and Kesgrave 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 Suffolk’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Suffolk is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Suffolk lists

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

All Suffolk rankings →

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.