Best secondary schools in Cumbria (2026)
Cumbria has 38 ranked secondary schools with published results. The top-ranked is Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith, in the top 5% in England. The average Attainment 8 here in 2025 was 43.7, against 46.1 for England. 2 are in England's top 10%, and 1 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There is 1 grammar school.
| Rank | School | Attainment 8 (2023–2025 average) | Attainment 8 2025 | Trend | Grade 5+ Eng & maths | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Top 5% in England |
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith Penrith · Grammar |
64.6 | 64.8 | 88% | Good | |
2 Top 10% in England |
Queen Elizabeth School Kirkby Lonsdale |
58.7 | 59.6 | 69% | Good | |
3 Top 19% in England |
Keswick School Keswick |
53.0 | 52.1 | 56% | Outstanding | |
4 Top 22% in England |
Cockermouth School Cockermouth |
52.3 | 51.9 | 58% | No rating | |
5 Top 28% in England |
Kirkbie Kendal School Kendal |
50.0 | 50.1 | 57% | No rating | |
6 Top 33% in England |
The Queen Katherine School Kendal |
49.5 | 48.8 | 50% | Report card | |
7 Top 39% in England |
John Ruskin School Coniston |
51.0 | 52.9 | 50% | Good | |
8 Top 40% in England |
Cartmel Priory CofE School Cartmel · Church of England |
48.5 | 47.2 | 38% | Report card | |
9 Top 40% in England |
Ulverston Victoria High School Ulverston |
48.9 | 46.8 | 37% | Not judged | |
10 Top 44% in England |
Settlebeck School Sedbergh |
47.3 | 44.0 | 44% | Not judged | |
11 Top 45% in England |
The Nelson Thomlinson School Wigton |
46.6 | 46.2 | 47% | Good | |
12 Top 50% in England |
Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Kirkby Stephen |
47.0 | 47.7 | 41% | Good | |
13 Bottom 44% in England |
The Lakes School Windermere |
45.5 | 46.8 | 42% | Good | |
14 Bottom 43% in England |
Chetwynde School Barrow-in-Furness |
43.5 | 44.2 | 46% | Good | |
15 Bottom 40% in England |
Dallam School Milnthorpe |
44.6 | 44.1 | 35% | Report card | |
16 Bottom 39% in England |
Caldew School Dalston |
43.9 | 44.3 | 39% | Good | |
17 Bottom 39% in England |
William Howard School Brampton (Cumberland) |
43.8 | 45.0 | 43% | No rating | |
18 Bottom 34% in England |
Trinity School Carlisle · Church of England |
42.9 | 41.4 | 30% | Not judged | |
19 Bottom 34% in England |
Richard Rose Morton Academy Carlisle |
43.7 | 43.4 | 34% | Not judged | |
20 Bottom 32% in England |
Appleby Grammar School Appleby-in-Westmorland |
42.3 | 40.7 | 30% | Report card | |
21 Bottom 32% in England |
Millom School Millom |
42.3 | 44.9 | 41% | Good | |
22 Bottom 30% in England |
St Benedict's Catholic High School Whitehaven · Roman Catholic |
42.7 | 41.2 | 33% | No rating | |
23 Bottom 29% in England |
West Lakes Academy Egremont |
42.2 | 40.8 | 32% | Not judged | |
24 Bottom 29% in England |
Dowdales School Dalton-in-Furness |
43.2 | 41.8 | 26% | No rating | |
25 Bottom 28% in England |
Richard Rose Central Academy Carlisle |
41.5 | 42.3 | 35% | Not judged | |
26 Bottom 26% in England |
Workington Academy Workington |
41.2 | 40.5 | 34% | Good | |
27 Bottom 25% in England |
Furness Academy Barrow-in-Furness |
41.5 | 42.4 | 36% | Good | |
28 Bottom 25% in England |
Ullswater Community College Penrith |
40.7 | 41.0 | 44% | Good | |
29 Bottom 16% in England |
St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington Workington · Roman Catholic |
39.2 | 37.4 | 31% | Requires improvement | |
30 Bottom 15% in England |
Queen Elizabeth Studio School Kirkby Lonsdale |
39.1 | 37.8 | 30% | Report card | |
31 Bottom 15% in England |
The Whitehaven Academy Whitehaven |
38.6 | 39.7 | 32% | Good | |
32 Bottom 15% in England |
Netherhall School Maryport |
39.0 | 39.7 | 28% | Not judged | |
33 Bottom 14% in England |
St John Henry Newman Catholic School Carlisle · Roman Catholic |
39.8 | 41.0 | 30% | Good | |
34 Bottom 14% in England |
St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow Barrow-in-Furness · Roman Catholic |
38.4 | 34.6 | 23% | Good | |
35 Bottom 12% in England |
Walney Academy Barrow-in-Furness |
37.9 | 38.7 | 22% | Not judged | |
36 Bottom 9% in England |
Samuel King's School Alston |
37.0 | 30.2 | 23% | No rating | |
37 Bottom 1% in England |
Solway Community School Silloth |
30.8 | 35.0 | 8% | Not judged | |
38 Bottom 1% in England |
Beacon Hill Community School Aspatria |
29.1 | 28.8 | 13% | Not judged |
Best secondary school in each town
- Barrow-in-Furness · best: Chetwynde School
- Carlisle · best: Trinity School
Also see
Questions
What is the best secondary school in Cumbria?
On exam results over the last three years, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith is the top-ranked secondary school in Cumbria, in the top 5% of schools in England.
How are the schools ranked?
By published Department for Education exam results averaged over three years: for secondary schools, Attainment 8 plus a quarter of the share getting grade 5+ in English and maths; for primary schools, the share reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths plus half the share reaching the higher standard. The order uses the three-year average, so a school can rank above one with a higher single-year result. Schools with fewer than 10 pupils taking the tests are not ranked. Exam results are only part of the picture: visit, read the Ofsted report and check admissions rules, as living nearby does not guarantee a place.