Best secondary schools in Derbyshire (2026)
Derbyshire has 60 ranked secondary schools with published results. The top-ranked is St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy, in the top 11% in England. The average Attainment 8 here in 2025 was 44.3, against 46.1 for England. 0 are in England's top 10%, and 3 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Derbyshire has no grammar schools.
| Rank | School | Attainment 8 (2023–2025 average) | Attainment 8 2025 | Trend | Grade 5+ Eng & maths | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Top 11% in England |
St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Chesterfield · Roman Catholic |
57.8 | 59.4 | 73% | Outstanding | |
2 Top 11% in England |
The Ecclesbourne School Duffield |
57.3 | 58.3 | 71% | Good | |
3 Top 16% in England |
Landau Forte College Derby |
54.7 | 55.4 | 65% | Outstanding | |
4 Top 18% in England |
Littleover Community School Derby |
53.9 | 52.7 | 58% | Good | |
5 Top 22% in England |
Lady Manners School Bakewell |
52.6 | 52.2 | 55% | Good | |
6 Top 22% in England |
John Flamsteed Community School Denby Bottles |
52.0 | 53.3 | 61% | Not judged | |
7 Top 22% in England |
Brookfield Community School Chesterfield |
52.1 | 50.8 | 58% | Good | |
8 Top 24% in England |
John Port Spencer Academy Etwall |
51.5 | 51.4 | 55% | Good | |
9 Top 27% in England |
Chellaston Academy Derby |
50.5 | 49.2 | 50% | Good | |
10 Top 28% in England |
Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School Dronfield |
50.4 | 50.0 | 53% | Good | |
11 Top 33% in England |
Wilsthorpe School Long Eaton |
48.4 | 50.5 | 56% | No rating | |
12 Top 34% in England |
Heanor Gate Spencer Academy Heanor |
49.7 | 49.6 | 50% | Outstanding | |
13 Top 35% in England |
Outwood Academy Newbold Chesterfield |
48.5 | 48.9 | 51% | No rating | |
14 Top 37% in England |
West Park School Derby |
48.3 | 48.7 | 52% | No rating | |
15 Top 40% in England |
Outwood Academy Hasland Hall Chesterfield |
47.1 | 47.5 | 55% | Good | |
16 Top 40% in England |
Highfields School Matlock |
47.6 | 47.0 | 43% | No rating | |
17 Top 40% in England |
Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy Ilkeston · Roman Catholic |
48.0 | 48.1 | 50% | No rating | |
18 Top 42% in England |
Anthony Gell School Wirksworth |
47.8 | 45.8 | 42% | No rating | |
19 Top 44% in England |
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Ashbourne · Christian |
47.7 | 48.2 | 44% | No rating | |
20 Top 45% in England |
Allestree Woodlands School Derby |
47.5 | 46.5 | 40% | Good | |
21 Top 46% in England |
Granville Academy Woodville |
46.0 | 46.5 | 48% | Not judged | |
22 Top 48% in England |
Chapel-en-le-Frith High School Chapel-en-le-Frith |
46.5 | 43.8 | 38% | Not judged | |
23 Bottom 50% in England |
Belper School and Sixth Form Centre Belper |
45.0 | 44.3 | 44% | Not judged | |
24 Bottom 50% in England |
Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby · Roman Catholic |
46.0 | 45.3 | 37% | No rating | |
25 Bottom 49% in England |
Derby Moor Spencer Academy Derby |
45.8 | 47.7 | 48% | No rating | |
26 Bottom 48% in England |
Hope Valley College Hope (High Peak) |
45.1 | 44.4 | 41% | Good | |
27 Bottom 46% in England |
New Mills School New Mills |
46.1 | 44.5 | 30% | Not judged | |
28 Bottom 46% in England |
Friesland School Sandiacre |
45.0 | 44.1 | 38% | Good | |
29 Bottom 43% in England |
The Ripley Academy Ripley (Amber Valley) |
43.8 | 44.5 | 43% | Good | |
30 Bottom 42% in England |
Tibshelf Community School Bolsover |
44.0 | 44.2 | 44% | Report card | |
31 Bottom 41% in England |
The Bolsover School Bolsover |
43.6 | 45.0 | 43% | Report card | |
32 Bottom 37% in England |
St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy Buxton (High Peak) · Roman Catholic |
43.8 | 49.5 | 47% | Not judged | |
33 Bottom 35% in England |
The Pingle Academy Swadlincote |
41.6 | 39.2 | 37% | Report card | |
34 Bottom 33% in England |
Frederick Gent School South Normanton |
43.1 | 46.3 | 40% | Report card | |
35 Bottom 33% in England |
St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop · Roman Catholic |
43.4 | 40.5 | 25% | Report card | |
36 Bottom 32% in England |
Glossopdale School and Sixth Form Hadfield |
42.8 | 43.4 | 35% | Good | |
37 Bottom 32% in England |
Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy Ilkeston |
41.5 | 40.5 | 38% | Good | |
38 Bottom 30% in England |
Swanwick Hall School Somercotes and Swanwick |
41.4 | 42.6 | 42% | Good | |
39 Bottom 30% in England |
Murray Park Community School Derby |
41.7 | 40.6 | 33% | Good | |
40 Bottom 27% in England |
Lees Brook Academy Derby |
41.6 | 41.5 | 32% | Good | |
41 Bottom 26% in England |
The Long Eaton School Long Eaton |
40.8 | 42.1 | 36% | Requires improvement | |
42 Bottom 24% in England |
Derby Cathedral School Derby · Church of England |
41.1 | 41.5 | 35% | Good | |
43 Bottom 24% in England |
Eckington School Eckington (North East Derbyshire) |
40.9 | 40.6 | 34% | Report card | |
44 Bottom 23% in England |
Netherthorpe School Staveley (Chesterfield) |
41.1 | 42.1 | 33% | Not judged | |
45 Bottom 23% in England |
Buxton Community School Buxton (High Peak) |
41.0 | 41.6 | 35% | No rating | |
46 Bottom 21% in England |
Whittington Green School Chesterfield |
40.9 | 40.8 | 32% | Good | |
47 Bottom 20% in England |
Shirebrook Academy Shirebrook |
39.3 | 39.5 | 31% | Not judged | |
48 Bottom 18% in England |
Tupton Hall School Old Tupton |
39.7 | 41.1 | 31% | Good | |
49 Bottom 16% in England |
Parkside Community School Chesterfield |
38.9 | 41.0 | 32% | Report card | |
50 Bottom 14% in England |
David Nieper Academy Alfreton |
38.9 | 41.0 | 30% | Good | |
51 Bottom 13% in England |
Springwell Community College Staveley (Chesterfield) |
37.9 | 37.9 | 29% | Not judged | |
52 Bottom 13% in England |
Heritage High School Clowne |
37.6 | 40.0 | 36% | Good | |
53 Bottom 13% in England |
Kirk Hallam Community Academy Ilkeston |
37.8 | 38.7 | 28% | Not judged | |
54 Bottom 9% in England |
Aldercar High School Heanor |
35.9 | 33.9 | 22% | Report card | |
55 Bottom 8% in England |
Mercia Academy Swadlincote |
36.1 | 32.6 | 23% | Not judged | |
56 Bottom 7% in England |
Noel-Baker Academy Derby |
35.8 | 36.3 | 30% | Good | |
57 Bottom 4% in England |
Da Vinci Academy Derby |
34.4 | 34.7 | 21% | Report card | |
58 Bottom 3% in England |
City of Derby Academy Derby |
32.4 | 34.8 | 26% | Requires improvement | |
59 Bottom 2% in England |
The Bemrose School Derby |
31.7 | 33.8 | 25% | Good | |
60 Bottom 2% in England |
Alvaston Moor Academy Derby |
30.0 | 32.4 | 23% | Requires improvement |
Best secondary school in each town
- Chesterfield · best: St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy
- Derby · best: Landau Forte College
- Ilkeston · best: Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy
Also see
Questions
What is the best secondary school in Derbyshire?
On exam results over the last three years, St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy is the top-ranked secondary school in Derbyshire, in the top 11% 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.