Best Primary & Secondary Schools in Manchester 2026

Ranked by Ofsted rating, exam results, attendance, and class sizes. 216 schools across Manchester. Updated with 2025–26 data.

Manchester has 216 open primary & secondary schools. Of the 200 with a published Ofsted inspection, 38 (19%) held a historic grade of Outstanding and 88% held Good or Outstanding — these are the last single-word grades from before Ofsted retired them on 10 November 2025 (how we treat Ofsted data). On our composite Schools Near Me score, Didsbury High School currently leads the local rankings. Closed schools are excluded from every list on this page.

Use the ranked table below to compare schools side by side, then open any school for the full picture. Application deadlines in Manchester follow the national calendar: 31 October for Year 7 secondary entry and 15 January for Reception primary entry, with offers on 1 March and 16 April respectively.

216
Total schools
38
Outstanding (historic grade)
19%
of inspected schools (pre-Nov-2025)
60%
Avg KS2 SATs
45.3
Avg GCSE A8
All schools Primary Secondary
Rank School Ofsted (historic) SNM Score Profile
1. Didsbury High School
Secondary
 Outstanding 90 View school
2. Loreto College
16 plus
 Outstanding 89 View school
3. St Malachy's RC Primary School
Primary
 Good 84 View school
4. Sacred Heart RC Primary School
Primary
 Outstanding 83 View school
5. Chorlton CofE Primary School
Primary
 Outstanding 82 View school
6. Xaverian College
16 plus
 Outstanding 82 View school
7. Green End Primary School
Primary
 Outstanding 82 View school
8. Didsbury CofE Primary School
Primary
 Good 80 View school
9. Oasis Academy Aspinal
Primary
 Good 79 View school
10. Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester
Secondary
 Good 79 View school
11. St Wilfrid's RC Primary School
Primary
 Good 78 View school
12. Levenshulme High School
Secondary
 Outstanding 78 View school
13. Brookburn Community School
Primary
 Good 78 View school
14. St Augustine's CofE Primary School
Primary
 Good 78 View school
15. Manley Park Primary School
Primary
 Outstanding 78 View school
16. St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme
Primary
 Good 77 View school
17. Oasis Academy Harpur Mount
Primary
 Good 77 View school
18. Abbott Community Primary School
Primary
 Outstanding 77 View school
19. St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy
Primary
 Good 75 View school
20. St John's RC Primary School
Primary
 Good 75 View school

Ranked by the Schools Near Me score. Ofsted grades shown are each school's last single-word grade from before 10 November 2025, when Ofsted retired single-word overall judgements — they are historic and not comparable to the new report cards. How we use Ofsted data. Closed schools are excluded.

Top primary & secondary schools in Manchester

Split by phase and ranked by the Schools Near Me score. Ofsted labels are each school's last single-word grade from before 10 November 2025 (historic, not current). Closed schools are excluded.

Top primary schools in Manchester

The leading 8 open primary schools by score.

  1. 1 St Malachy's RC Primary School Good 84
  2. 2 Sacred Heart RC Primary School Outstanding 83
  3. 3 Chorlton CofE Primary School Outstanding 82
  4. 4 Green End Primary School Outstanding 82
  5. 5 Didsbury CofE Primary School Good 80
  6. 6 Oasis Academy Aspinal Good 79
  7. 7 St Wilfrid's RC Primary School Good 78
  8. 8 Brookburn Community School Good 78

Top secondary schools in Manchester

The leading 8 open secondary schools by score.

  1. 1 Didsbury High School Outstanding 90
  2. 2 Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester Good 79
  3. 3 Levenshulme High School Outstanding 78
  4. 4 Burnage Academy for Boys Outstanding 74
  5. 5 Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester Good 73
  6. 6 Wright Robinson College Outstanding 72
  7. 7 Co-op Academy Belle Vue Outstanding 72
  8. 8 Chorlton High School Good 71

Related lists for Manchester

Best primary schools in ManchesterTop-ranked Reception–Year 6 Best secondary schools in ManchesterTop-ranked Year 7 onwards Primary schools in ManchesterReception–Year 6 only Secondary schools in ManchesterYear 7 onwards How the Schools Near Me score worksOur ranking methodology, explained

Nearby areas

Schools in SalfordCompare neighbouring authoritySchools in StockportCompare neighbouring authoritySchools in TraffordCompare neighbouring authoritySchools in TamesideCompare neighbouring authority

See full data for any school in Manchester

Catchment distances, exam trends, SEN data, attendance, and more — all in one place.

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Frequently asked questions

How many primary & secondary schools are there in Manchester?
There are 216 open primary & secondary schools in Manchester (closed schools are excluded). 38 of the 200 with a published inspection held a historic Ofsted grade of Outstanding (the last single-word grade before single-word grades were retired on 10 November 2025).
What are the best-rated primary & secondary schools in Manchester?
On our Schools Near Me score, the top-ranked primary & secondary school in Manchester is Didsbury High School. The full ranked table above lists the top 20 schools with their score and last historic Ofsted grade. We never list closed schools.
How is the Schools Near Me score calculated?
The Schools Near Me score is a 0–100 composite combining the school's last historic Ofsted grade, published exam and assessment results, attendance and pupil–teacher ratio. It is not an Ofsted rating. Full methodology: https://schoolsnearme.ai/methodology#score
Are Ofsted single-word grades still current in Manchester?
No. Ofsted retired single-word overall grades (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate) on 10 November 2025 and replaced them with report cards. Any single-word grade shown on this page is the school's last historic grade from before that date and is not comparable to the new report cards. See https://schoolsnearme.ai/methodology#ofsted
How do I apply for a school place in Manchester?
Primary and secondary applications in Manchester are coordinated by the local authority on the national timetable: apply by 31 October for Year 7 secondary entry and by 15 January for Reception primary entry, with offers on 1 March and 16 April respectively. Check the Manchester council website for local forms and any in-year rules.
What is the top-ranked primary school in Manchester?
On the Schools Near Me score, the highest-ranked open primary school in Manchester is St Malachy's RC Primary School. The "Top primary schools in Manchester" list on this page shows the leading 8 primary schools with their score and last historic Ofsted grade (pre-Nov-2025). Closed schools are never included.
What is the top-ranked secondary school in Manchester?
On the Schools Near Me score, the highest-ranked open secondary school in Manchester is Didsbury High School. See the "Top secondary schools in Manchester" list on this page for the leading 8 secondary schools, each with its score and last historic single-word Ofsted grade (from before Ofsted retired single-word grades on 10 November 2025).
Is Manchester a good place to find a school?
Manchester is one of England's largest urban authorities, with 216 open primary & secondary schools to choose from, 38 of them holding a historic Ofsted grade of Outstanding (the last single-word grade before those grades were retired on 10 November 2025). Because choice is wide, compare schools on the ranked tables above and open any school for catchment areas, results trends and more. See how we score schools: https://schoolsnearme.ai/methodology#score

Data sourced from Ofsted, Department for Education, and ISI. School rankings reflect the Schools Near Me composite score combining Ofsted ratings, exam results, attendance, and pupil-teacher ratios. Last updated April 2026.