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Schools in Essex

611 open schools including 463 primary and 145 secondary providers. Browse top performers, Ofsted outcomes and links to explore every school on the map.

463

Primary

145

Secondary

81

Post-16

4 grammar schools in Essex

11+ exam details, admissions and full grammar school list

View grammars

Ofsted outcomes in Essex

Outstanding54 (9%)
Good455 (74%)
Requires improvement30 (5%)
Inadequate4 (1%)

Top primary schools in Essex

DfE data for 202425 academic year

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  1. 1

    Stambridge Primary School

    Rochford | Good

    100%

    KS2 RWM expected

  2. 2

    St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald

    Brentwood | Outstanding

    98%

    KS2 RWM expected

  3. 3

    St Peter's Catholic Primary School

    Billericay | Outstanding

    96%

    KS2 RWM expected

  4. 4

    St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Burnham-on-Crouch

    Burnham-on-Crouch | Good

    94%

    KS2 RWM expected

  5. 5

    St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden

    Saffron Walden | Good

    94%

    KS2 RWM expected

  6. 6

    St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester

    Colchester | Outstanding

    93%

    KS2 RWM expected

  7. 7

    Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School

    Brentwood | Outstanding

    93%

    KS2 RWM expected

  8. 8

    Perryfields Junior School

    Chelmsford | Outstanding

    91%

    KS2 RWM expected

Top secondary schools in Essex

DfE data for 202425 academic year

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  1. 1

    King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

    Chelmsford | Outstanding

    82.9

    Attainment 8

  2. 2

    Colchester Royal Grammar School

    Colchester | Inadequate

    81.9

    Attainment 8

  3. 3

    Chelmsford County High School for Girls

    Chelmsford | Outstanding

    80.5

    Attainment 8

  4. 4

    Colchester County High School for Girls

    Colchester | Outstanding

    80.4

    Attainment 8

  5. 5

    New Hall School

    Chelmsford

    70.2

    Attainment 8

  6. 6

    St Mary's School for Girls

    Colchester

    66.3

    Attainment 8

  7. 7

    Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

    Brentwood | Good

    61.0

    Attainment 8

  8. 8

    Colchester Prep & High School

    Colchester

    60.9

    Attainment 8

Selective schools may also appear in our grammar schools section.

Top post-16 providers in Essex

DfE data for 2024/25 academic year

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  1. 1

    Colchester Royal Grammar School

    Colchester | Inadequate

    51.3

    A-Level APS

  2. 2

    King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

    Chelmsford | Outstanding

    49.0

    A-Level APS

  3. 3

    Chelmsford County High School for Girls

    Chelmsford | Outstanding

    47.2

    A-Level APS

  4. 4

    Colchester County High School for Girls

    Colchester | Outstanding

    45.3

    A-Level APS

  5. 5

    Brentwood School

    Brentwood

    42.9

    A-Level APS

  6. 6

    New Hall School

    Chelmsford

    41.6

    A-Level APS

  7. 7

    Chigwell School

    Chigwell

    41.6

    A-Level APS

  8. 8

    Saffron Walden County High School

    Saffron Walden | Outstanding

    40.0

    A-Level APS

About schools in Essex

This page summarises open schools in Essex using official DfE exam results and Ofsted inspection data on FavSchools. Use the school map to search by postcode, league tables for full rankings, and compare to review schools side by side before applying through your local authority.

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Frequently asked questions

How many schools are in Essex?
Essex has 611 open schools on FavSchools, including 463 primary, 145 secondary and post-16 providers with published data where available.
Does Essex have grammar schools?
Yes. Essex has 4 state grammar schools. See the grammar schools section on this page or visit the dedicated grammar schools guide for 11+ details.
How are top schools in Essex ranked?
Primary schools are ranked by KS2 reading, writing and maths expected standard. Secondary schools use GCSE Attainment 8. Post-16 providers use A-Level average point score per entry. All figures come from the latest DfE performance tables.
How do I find schools near me in Essex?
Use the FavSchools interactive map to search by postcode within Essex, filter by Ofsted rating and phase, then compare shortlisted schools side by side.