Private schools in England (2026)
1,574 fee-paying schools, 398 of them taking boarders. For each one: A level results where the school publishes them, ages, boarding, its latest inspection report and, from its charity accounts, what it takes in fees per pupil.
Highest A level results
| School | Ages | A level |
|---|---|---|
| St Paul's Girls' School Greater London · Girls · Day · Church of England | 10–19 | A+ |
| North London Collegiate School Greater London · Girls · Day | 4–18 | A+ |
| St Paul's School Greater London · Boys · Boarding · Church of England | 7–18 | A+ |
| The National Mathematics and Science College West Midlands · Co-ed · Boarding | 15–20 | A+ |
| Westminster School Greater London · Co-ed · Boarding · Church of England | 12–19 | A+ |
| Brighton College East Sussex · Co-ed · Boarding | 11–19 | A+ |
| King's College School Greater London · Boys · Day · Church of England | 7–19 | A+ |
| The Godolphin and Latymer School Greater London · Girls · Day | 10–19 | A+ |
| Guildford High School Surrey · Girls · Day · Christian | 4–19 | A+ |
| Concord College Shropshire · Co-ed · Boarding | 12–20 | A+ |
| South Hampstead High School GDST Greater London · Girls · Day | 4–19 | A+ |
| King Edward VI High School for Girls West Midlands · Girls · Day · Christian | 11–19 | A+ |
| Wimbledon High School GDST Greater London · Girls · Day | 4–19 | A |
| Haberdashers' Boys' School Hertfordshire · Boys · Day | 4–18 | A |
| Magdalen College School Oxfordshire · Co-ed · Day · Christian | 7–19 | A |
| City of London School for Girls Greater London · Girls · Day | 10–18 | A |
| Alleyn's School Greater London · Co-ed · Day | 4–18 | A |
| Latymer Upper School and Latymer Prep Greater London · Co-ed · Day | 7–19 | A |
| Highgate School Greater London · Co-ed · Day · Christian | 3–19 | A |
| The Perse School Cambridgeshire · Co-ed · Day | 3–18 | A |
| Putney High School GDST Greater London · Girls · Day | 4–19 | A |
| Lady Eleanor Holles School Greater London · Girls · Day · Church of England | 7–19 | A |
| Eton College Berkshire · Boys · Boarding · Church of England | 12–19 | A |
| Haberdashers' Girls' School Hertfordshire · Girls · Day | 4–18 | A |
| Trinity School Greater London · Co-ed · Day | 10–18 | A |
| Wycombe Abbey Buckinghamshire · Girls · Boarding · Anglican | 10–19 | A |
| Winchester College Hampshire · Co-ed · Boarding | 13–19 | A |
| James Allen's Girls' School Greater London · Girls · Day | 4–18 | A |
| Withington Girls' School Greater Manchester · Girls · Day | 7–19 | A |
| City of London School Greater London · Boys · Day | 10–18 | A |
Not a ranking. Fee-paying schools do not sit the same tests as state schools: many take IGCSEs, which the government's GCSE tables leave out, so we list them by their average A level grade where they report it (Department for Education 16 to 18 results) and then by name. Many fee-paying schools do not report A levels, so a dash does not mean poor results. Fee income per pupil is the school's income from fees in its latest Charity Commission accounts divided by its pupils: a guide to cost, not the fee list, and only shown where the charity runs that one school. Inspections: Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) or Ofsted.
Private schools by county
- Bedfordshire · 15
- Berkshire · 51
- Bristol · 9
- Buckinghamshire · 29
- Cambridgeshire · 25
- Cheshire · 17
- Cornwall · 6
- County Durham · 9
- Cumbria · 8
- Derbyshire · 13
- Devon · 25
- Dorset · 20
- East Riding of Yorkshire · 4
- East Sussex · 27
- Essex · 34
- Gloucestershire · 25
- Greater London · 420
- Greater Manchester · 93
- Hampshire · 46
- Herefordshire · 3
- Hertfordshire · 47
- Kent · 52
- Lancashire · 39
- Leicestershire · 25
- Lincolnshire · 18
- Merseyside · 16
- Norfolk · 13
- North Yorkshire · 27
- Northamptonshire · 16
- Nottinghamshire · 15
- Oxfordshire · 42
- Rutland · 3
- Shropshire · 15
- Somerset · 26
- South Yorkshire · 8
- Staffordshire · 16
- Suffolk · 19
- Surrey · 83
- Tyne and Wear · 18
- Warwickshire · 18
- West Midlands · 72
- West Sussex · 27
- West Yorkshire · 42
- Wiltshire · 18
- Worcestershire · 16
Questions
How much do private schools cost?
The Independent Schools Council's 2026 census puts the average day school fee at £6,155 a term and the average boarding fee at £14,980 a term, before VAT (20% since January 2025), from £4,473 a term for day schools in the North West to £7,580 in London. Fees rise with age and vary a lot between schools, so check each school's website for its fee list.
Who inspects private schools?
Schools in the Independent Schools Council associations are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI); other fee-paying schools are inspected by Ofsted against the independent school standards.
Are private schools in school league tables?
Not fairly: many sit IGCSEs, which the government's GCSE tables leave out. So we list fee-paying schools by A level results where they publish them, rather than ranking them against state schools.