Best secondary schools in West Sussex (2026)
West Sussex has 38 ranked secondary schools with published results. The top-ranked is St Paul's Catholic College, in the top 14% in England. The average Attainment 8 here in 2025 was 46.6, against 46.1 for England. 0 are in England's top 10%, and 7 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. West Sussex has no grammar schools.
| Rank | School | Attainment 8 (2023–2025 average) | Attainment 8 2025 | Trend | Grade 5+ Eng & maths | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Top 14% in England |
St Paul's Catholic College Burgess Hill · Roman Catholic |
56.1 | 55.5 | 64% | Outstanding | |
2 Top 14% in England |
Downlands Community School Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint |
56.1 | 57.3 | 66% | Good | |
3 Top 16% in England |
Tanbridge House School Horsham |
54.7 | 54.2 | 59% | Outstanding | |
4 Top 17% in England |
St Oscar Romero Catholic School Worthing · Roman Catholic |
54.9 | 55.1 | 60% | Not judged | |
5 Top 18% in England |
Shoreham Academy Shoreham-by-Sea · Christian |
53.1 | 54.8 | 65% | Outstanding | |
6 Top 19% in England |
Warden Park Secondary Academy Cuckfield |
53.3 | 52.4 | 58% | Report card | |
7 Top 20% in England |
Millais School Horsham |
53.0 | 51.6 | 59% | Good | |
8 Top 20% in England |
Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing Worthing · Girls · Church of England |
52.6 | 52.1 | 57% | Outstanding | |
9 Top 23% in England |
St Philip Howard Catholic School Barnham (Arun) · Roman Catholic |
52.9 | 52.5 | 48% | Report card | |
10 Top 23% in England |
Bishop Luffa School, Chichester Chichester · Church of England |
51.9 | 52.6 | 59% | Outstanding | |
11 Top 25% in England |
Bohunt Horsham Horsham |
50.2 | 49.5 | 59% | Good | |
12 Top 25% in England |
Oathall Community College Haywards Heath |
51.2 | 51.6 | 58% | No rating | |
13 Top 34% in England |
Weald School, The Billingshurst |
49.2 | 47.1 | 48% | Not judged | |
14 Top 34% in England |
Midhurst Rother College Midhurst |
48.7 | 48.8 | 56% | Outstanding | |
15 Top 35% in England |
Hazelwick School Crawley |
49.6 | 50.2 | 46% | Outstanding | |
16 Top 37% in England |
Durrington High School Worthing |
48.4 | 49.8 | 55% | Good | |
17 Top 41% in England |
Worthing High School Worthing |
48.2 | 48.6 | 47% | No rating | |
18 Top 42% in England |
St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, Crawley Crawley · Roman Catholic |
47.9 | 45.5 | 39% | No rating | |
19 Top 44% in England |
Oriel High School Crawley |
47.2 | 45.4 | 43% | Not judged | |
20 Top 44% in England |
Bohunt School Worthing Worthing |
47.0 | 46.7 | 44% | No rating | |
21 Top 45% in England |
Steyning Grammar School Steyning · Church of England |
46.8 | 48.7 | 49% | Report card | |
22 Top 49% in England |
Imberhorne School East Grinstead |
46.2 | 45.1 | 43% | No rating | |
23 Bottom 47% in England |
Sackville School East Grinstead |
45.8 | 46.1 | 41% | No rating | |
24 Bottom 46% in England |
The Regis School Bognor Regis |
43.9 | 43.6 | 44% | No rating | |
25 Bottom 41% in England |
The Burgess Hill Academy Burgess Hill |
43.1 | 44.6 | 48% | No rating | |
26 Bottom 36% in England |
Ormiston Six Villages Academy Barnham (Arun) |
42.5 | 42.8 | 40% | Good | |
27 Bottom 35% in England |
St Andrew's CofE High School Worthing · Church of England |
43.0 | 41.7 | 36% | Good | |
28 Bottom 35% in England |
The Sir Robert Woodard Academy Lancing and Sompting · Christian |
42.6 | 42.1 | 38% | Report card | |
29 Bottom 35% in England |
Chichester Free School Chichester |
43.1 | 44.9 | 40% | Good | |
30 Bottom 32% in England |
Bourne Community College Southbourne |
42.3 | 39.1 | 33% | Report card | |
31 Bottom 30% in England |
Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley Crawley · Church of England |
42.3 | 41.7 | 34% | Good | |
32 Bottom 26% in England |
Felpham Community College Bognor Regis |
41.6 | 41.9 | 29% | No rating | |
33 Bottom 20% in England |
The Angmering School Rustington |
40.1 | 41.0 | 36% | Good | |
34 Bottom 20% in England |
Chichester High School Chichester |
40.4 | 39.0 | 29% | Not judged | |
35 Bottom 15% in England |
The Academy, Selsey Selsey |
38.6 | 38.0 | 39% | Not judged | |
36 Bottom 11% in England |
The Gatwick School Crawley |
37.3 | 39.7 | 30% | Good | |
37 Bottom 9% in England |
The Littlehampton Academy Littlehampton · Christian |
36.1 | 37.2 | 32% | Report card | |
38 Bottom 3% in England |
Thomas Bennett Community College Crawley |
32.4 | 33.1 | 22% | Good |
Best secondary school in each town
- Horsham · best: Tanbridge House School
- Worthing · best: St Oscar Romero Catholic School
- Crawley · best: Hazelwick School
Also see
Questions
What is the best secondary school in West Sussex?
On exam results over the last three years, St Paul's Catholic College is the top-ranked secondary school in West Sussex, in the top 14% 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.