Best primary schools in Portsmouth (2026)

Portsmouth has 36 ranked primary schools with published results. The top-ranked is St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School, in the top 17% in England. The average reading, writing & maths here in 2025 was 57%, against 62% for England. 0 are in England's top 10%, and 1 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted.

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Rank	School	Reading, writing & maths (2023–2025 average)	Reading, writing & maths 2025	Higher standard	Ofsted
1 Top 17% in England	St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School Portsmouth · Roman Catholic	77%	83%	13%	Good
2 Top 29% in England	Castle Primary School Portsmouth	69%	68%	8%	Good
3 Top 31% in England	Ark Ayrton Primary Academy Portsmouth	72%	78%	5%	No rating
4 Top 33% in England	Wicor Primary School Portsmouth	71%	71%	1%	No rating
5 Top 37% in England	St Paul's Catholic Primary School Portsmouth · Roman Catholic	69%	73%	7%	No rating
6 Top 42% in England	Langstone Primary Academy Portsmouth	66%	58%	6%	No rating
7 Top 45% in England	Red Barn Community Primary School Portsmouth	64%	52%	0%	Outstanding
8 Top 47% in England	St Swithun's Catholic Primary School Portsmouth · Roman Catholic	67%	69%	2%	No rating
9 Top 48% in England	Ark Dickens Primary Academy Portsmouth	67%	67%	0%	Good
10 Bottom 43% in England	Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Portsmouth · Roman Catholic	61%	57%	5%	Good
11 Bottom 43% in England	Northern Junior School Portsmouth	58%	58%	13%	Good
12 Bottom 41% in England	Meon Junior School Portsmouth	62%	65%	1%	Report card
13 Bottom 40% in England	Solent Junior School Portsmouth	57%	58%	11%	No rating
14 Bottom 39% in England	St Jude's CofE Primary School Portsmouth · Church of England	59%	53%	2%	No rating
15 Bottom 33% in England	Penbridge Junior School Portsmouth	59%	54%	1%	No rating
16 Bottom 31% in England	Westover Primary School Portsmouth	57%	66%	3%	Good
17 Bottom 30% in England	Highbury Primary School Portsmouth	54%	63%	10%	Report card
18 Bottom 27% in England	Craneswater Junior School Portsmouth	55%	53%	2%	No rating
19 Bottom 27% in England	Court Lane Junior Academy Portsmouth	55%	57%	2%	No rating
20 Bottom 27% in England	Fernhurst Junior School Portsmouth	56%	55%	1%	No rating
21 Bottom 25% in England	St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School Portsmouth · Church of England	54%	69%	0%	Not judged
22 Bottom 25% in England	Gatcombe Park Primary School Portsmouth	56%	63%	0%	Good
23 Bottom 16% in England	New Horizons Primary School Portsmouth	50%	49%	0%	Good
24 Bottom 16% in England	The Victory Primary School Portsmouth	49%	63%	3%	Not judged
25 Bottom 14% in England	Wimborne Primary School Portsmouth	48%	51%	1%	Good
26 Bottom 13% in England	Milton Park Primary School Portsmouth	47%	53%	5%	Good
27 Bottom 13% in England	Medina Primary School Portsmouth	48%	58%	3%	Not judged
28 Bottom 11% in England	Stamshaw Junior School Portsmouth	46%	47%	0%	Good
29 Bottom 11% in England	Copnor Primary School Portsmouth	46%	51%	1%	Not judged
30 Bottom 11% in England	Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery Portsmouth	46%	53%	4%	Requires improvement
31 Bottom 8% in England	King's Academy College Park (Junior) Portsmouth	43%	52%	7%	Not judged
32 Bottom 7% in England	King's Academy Northern Parade (Junior) Portsmouth	43%	48%	2%	Good
33 Bottom 4% in England	Beacon View Primary Academy Portsmouth	39%	41%	0%	Not judged
34 Bottom 4% in England	The Flying Bull Academy Portsmouth	36%	17%	0%	Report card
35 Bottom 3% in England	Portsdown Primary School Portsmouth	35%	35%	2%	Good
36 Bottom 2% in England	Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery Portsmouth	34%	35%	0%	Report card

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Questions

What is the best primary school in Portsmouth?

On exam results over the last three years, St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School is the top-ranked primary school in Portsmouth, in the top 17% 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.