Best secondary schools in Oxfordshire (2026)
Oxfordshire has 40 ranked secondary schools with published results. The top-ranked is Didcot Girls' School, in the top 9% in England. The average Attainment 8 here in 2025 was 45.7, against 46.1 for England. 4 are in England's top 10%, and 3 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Oxfordshire has no grammar schools.
| Rank | School | Attainment 8 (2023–2025 average) | Attainment 8 2025 | Trend | Grade 5+ Eng & maths | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Top 9% in England |
Didcot Girls' School Didcot · Girls |
59.2 | 58.8 | 72% | No rating | |
2 Top 9% in England |
Gillotts School Henley-on-Thames |
58.4 | 61.3 | 76% | Outstanding | |
3 Top 10% in England |
The Cherwell School Oxford |
58.6 | 58.3 | 66% | Outstanding | |
4 Top 10% in England |
Langtree School Woodcote |
57.8 | 58.0 | 71% | Good | |
5 Top 12% in England |
Bartholomew School Eynsham |
56.7 | 57.0 | 67% | Outstanding | |
6 Top 13% in England |
The Swan School Oxford |
55.5 | 55.4 | 68% | Good | |
7 Top 18% in England |
The Marlborough Church of England School Woodstock · Church of England |
53.8 | 55.4 | 63% | No rating | |
8 Top 19% in England |
Chipping Norton School Chipping Norton |
52.6 | 49.3 | 60% | Not judged | |
9 Top 22% in England |
Matthew Arnold School Oxford |
52.5 | 56.5 | 65% | Not judged | |
10 Top 22% in England |
Wheatley Park School Wheatley |
51.7 | 51.5 | 57% | No rating | |
11 Top 23% in England |
Wallingford School Wallingford |
51.7 | 53.9 | 63% | No rating | |
12 Top 29% in England |
Burford School Burford |
50.0 | 52.4 | 60% | No rating | |
13 Top 30% in England |
St Birinus School Didcot · Boys |
50.0 | 48.2 | 51% | Not judged | |
14 Top 37% in England |
Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth Form Banbury · Roman Catholic |
49.0 | 48.5 | 42% | Good | |
15 Top 37% in England |
Icknield Community College Watlington (South Oxfordshire) |
48.6 | 51.2 | 52% | No rating | |
16 Top 37% in England |
Lord Williams's School Thame |
48.0 | 46.2 | 48% | Good | |
17 Top 39% in England |
Oxford Spires Academy Oxford |
47.8 | 46.3 | 50% | Good | |
18 Top 41% in England |
Whitelands Academy Bicester |
46.4 | 46.4 | 54% | Good | |
19 Top 43% in England |
Cheney School Oxford |
47.0 | 46.0 | 49% | No rating | |
20 Top 45% in England |
Fitzharrys School Abingdon-on-Thames |
46.4 | 46.0 | 53% | No rating | |
21 Top 45% in England |
Gosford Hill School Kidlington |
46.8 | 45.3 | 42% | Report card | |
22 Top 47% in England |
Wood Green School Witney |
45.9 | 46.2 | 48% | No rating | |
23 Top 49% in England |
North Oxfordshire Academy Banbury |
45.1 | 46.8 | 52% | No rating | |
24 Top 50% in England |
King Alfred's Wantage |
45.3 | 45.4 | 44% | Report card | |
25 Bottom 47% in England |
The Warriner School Bloxham |
45.3 | 44.3 | 42% | Good | |
26 Bottom 44% in England |
Faringdon Community College Faringdon |
45.3 | 43.7 | 40% | Good | |
27 Bottom 44% in England |
The Bicester School Bicester |
44.8 | 47.9 | 49% | Good | |
28 Bottom 38% in England |
John Mason School Abingdon-on-Thames |
43.8 | 44.5 | 42% | No rating | |
29 Bottom 38% in England |
The Cooper School Bicester |
43.4 | 41.7 | 40% | Not judged | |
30 Bottom 38% in England |
Larkmead School Abingdon-on-Thames |
43.0 | 39.4 | 35% | No rating | |
31 Bottom 34% in England |
Heyford Park School Upper Heyford |
42.6 | 39.7 | 36% | Good | |
32 Bottom 32% in England |
The Henry Box School Witney |
42.3 | 42.2 | 36% | No rating | |
33 Bottom 26% in England |
Futures Institute Banbury Banbury |
40.9 | 41.1 | 38% | No rating | |
34 Bottom 20% in England |
Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge Sonning Common |
39.8 | 44.3 | 45% | Good | |
35 Bottom 13% in England |
Greyfriars Catholic School Oxford · Roman Catholic |
36.9 | 34.0 | 29% | Good | |
36 Bottom 6% in England |
Carterton Community College Carterton |
35.3 | 33.8 | 19% | Report card | |
37 Bottom 6% in England |
Aureus School Didcot |
35.1 | 33.7 | 19% | Not judged | |
38 Bottom 5% in England |
Wykham Park Banbury |
33.7 | 34.8 | 25% | No rating | |
39 Bottom 4% in England |
The Oxford Academy Oxford · Church of England |
33.1 | 33.6 | 21% | Report card | |
40 Bottom 1% in England |
Europa School UK South Oxfordshire |
6.8 | 0.9 | 2% | Good |
Best secondary school in each town
- Didcot · best: Didcot Girls' School
- Oxford · best: The Cherwell School
- Banbury · best: Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth Form
- Bicester · best: Whitelands Academy
- Abingdon-on-Thames · best: Fitzharrys School
Also see
Questions
What is the best secondary school in Oxfordshire?
On exam results over the last three years, Didcot Girls' School is the top-ranked secondary school in Oxfordshire, in the top 9% 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.