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Best secondary schools in Bedford

12 of 15 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Bedford schools · primary schools

Ranked on Progress 8, 2023/24 — the most recent year each school has published. Official data, not our opinion — but the ranking is only as good as the measure, and a single number never describes a school.

# School Progress 8 Ofsted Places Catchment
1 Bedford Free School Bedford 1.11 Outstanding improving oversubscribed 1.54 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
2 Goldington Academy Bedford 0.85 Good oversubscribed 1.49 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
3 Bedford Academy Bedford hidden gem 0.43 Good about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
4 Lincroft Academy Bedford 0.4 Not judged declining about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
5 St Thomas More Catholic School Bedford hidden gem 0.31 Good about even 0.85 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
6 Wixams Academy Bedford 0.23 Requires improvement about even 0.92 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
7 Sharnbrook Academy Bedford 0.17 Not judged declining about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
8 Biddenham International School and Sports College Bedford 0.12 Good about even 1.06 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
9 Daubeney Academy Bedford 0.02 Not judged about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
10 Mark Rutherford School Bedford -0.05 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.83 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
11 Kempston Academy Bedford hidden gem -0.09 Good about even 0.89 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
12 Wootton Upper School Bedford -0.17 Not judged improving about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate

Also in Bedford

3 further secondary schools with no published Progress 8 for the latest year — usually too small a cohort to report, newly opened, or a special school. Listed because leaving them out would make this a misleading picture of Bedford, not a fairer one.

Applying in Bedford

Knowing which school is best is only half of it — these are the deadlines that decide whether you can apply at all.

Rankings compare published results. They do not tell you which school your child will get into — that depends on where you live, sibling and faith priority, and how many people apply this year. Ask below, or check the Bedford admission criteria.

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