Best primary schools in Sunderland (2026)
Sunderland has 40 ranked primary schools with published results. The top-ranked is St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth, in the top 1% in England. The average reading, writing & maths here in 2025 was 69%, against 62% for England. 7 are in England's top 10%, and 1 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted.
| Rank | School | Reading, writing & maths (2023–2025 average) | Reading, writing & maths 2025 | Trend | Higher standard | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Top 1% in England |
St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
92% | 85% | 24% | Good | |
2 Top 2% in England |
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
91% | 95% | 31% | No rating | |
3 Top 2% in England |
Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy Sunderland · Church of England |
90% | 97% | 33% | Not judged | |
4 Top 3% in England |
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
85% | 90% | 28% | No rating | |
5 Top 5% in England |
St Anne's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
84% | 83% | 17% | No rating | |
6 Top 7% in England |
Valley Road Academy Sunderland |
84% | 85% | 15% | No rating | |
7 Top 8% in England |
St Paul's CofE Primary School Sunderland · Church of England |
81% | 88% | 19% | No rating | |
8 Top 11% in England |
East Herrington Primary Academy Sunderland |
79% | 81% | 11% | Good | |
9 Top 13% in England |
Highfield Academy Sunderland |
76% | 82% | 26% | No rating | |
10 Top 14% in England |
Hill View Junior Academy Sunderland |
75% | 81% | 21% | No rating | |
11 Top 16% in England |
Fulwell Junior School Sunderland |
76% | 78% | 17% | Report card | |
12 Top 18% in England |
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
76% | 78% | 7% | No rating | |
13 Top 18% in England |
Mill Hill Primary School Sunderland |
77% | 79% | 7% | No rating | |
14 Top 20% in England |
Bexhill Academy Sunderland |
74% | 78% | 14% | Outstanding | |
15 Top 23% in England |
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
74% | 74% | 7% | Not judged | |
16 Top 27% in England |
Seaburn Dene Primary School Sunderland |
72% | 80% | 8% | Good | |
17 Top 28% in England |
Northern Saints Church of England Academy Sunderland · Church of England |
70% | 68% | 11% | Report card | |
18 Top 28% in England |
South Hylton Primary Academy Sunderland |
70% | 69% | 14% | Report card | |
19 Top 30% in England |
Castletown Primary School Sunderland |
69% | 76% | 9% | Good | |
20 Top 34% in England |
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
69% | 68% | 11% | No rating | |
21 Top 36% in England |
Redby Academy Sunderland |
67% | 70% | 13% | Good | |
22 Top 46% in England |
Plains Farm Academy Sunderland |
64% | 65% | 9% | No rating | |
23 Top 47% in England |
Ryhope Junior School Sunderland |
63% | 67% | 8% | Report card | |
24 Top 48% in England |
Thorney Close Primary School Sunderland |
64% | 63% | 7% | Good | |
25 Top 48% in England |
Diamond Hall Junior Academy Sunderland |
63% | 68% | 9% | No rating | |
26 Top 50% in England |
St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
62% | 54% | 11% | Not judged | |
27 Bottom 49% in England |
Hudson Road Primary School Sunderland |
62% | 68% | 12% | Good | |
28 Bottom 48% in England |
Willow Wood Community Primary School Sunderland |
60% | 75% | 9% | Good | |
29 Bottom 42% in England |
Richard Avenue Primary School Sunderland |
59% | 64% | 8% | No rating | |
30 Bottom 37% in England |
Broadway Junior School Sunderland |
58% | 55% | 5% | No rating | |
31 Bottom 36% in England |
New Silksworth Academy Junior Sunderland |
58% | 51% | 0% | No rating | |
32 Bottom 35% in England |
Town End Academy Sunderland |
59% | 54% | 4% | Good | |
33 Bottom 30% in England |
Farringdon Academy Sunderland |
57% | 60% | 3% | Good | |
34 Bottom 26% in England |
Grange Park Primary School Sunderland |
54% | 39% | 0% | Good | |
35 Bottom 25% in England |
Barnes Junior School Sunderland |
54% | 38% | 1% | No rating | |
36 Bottom 20% in England |
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope Sunderland · Roman Catholic |
50% | 58% | 11% | Good | |
37 Bottom 14% in England |
Hasting Hill Academy Sunderland |
50% | 55% | 0% | Good | |
38 Bottom 13% in England |
Grangetown Primary School Sunderland |
48% | 63% | 0% | No rating | |
39 Bottom 12% in England |
Southwick Community Primary School Sunderland |
47% | 51% | 3% | Good | |
40 Bottom 7% in England |
Hylton Castle Primary School Sunderland |
43% | 43% | 0% | No rating |
Other towns in Tyne and Wear
- Birtley
- Blaydon
- Crawcrook and Greenside
- Gateshead
- Hebburn
- Hetton-le-Hole
- Houghton-le-Spring
- Jarrow
- Killingworth
- Longbenton
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Ponteland
- Rowlands Gill
- Ryton
- Shiney Row and Penshaw
- South Shields
- Tynemouth
- Wallsend
- Washington
- Whickham
Also see
Questions
What is the best primary school in Sunderland?
On exam results over the last three years, St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth is the top-ranked primary school in Sunderland, in the top 1% 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.