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Best secondary schools in Bolton

18 of 23 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Bolton 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 Bolton Muslim Girls School Bolton 1.06 Not judged oversubscribed 1.29 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
2 Sharples School Bolton 0.86 Good oversubscribed 1.46 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
3 Essa Academy Bolton 0.73 Good about even 1.11 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
4 Kearsley Academy Bolton hidden gem 0.55 Good improving about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
5 Eden Boys' School, Bolton Bolton 0.45 Outstanding oversubscribed 1.66 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
6 Canon Slade School Bolton 0.29 Not judged about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
7 King's Leadership Academy Bolton Bolton hidden gem 0.14 Good undersubscribed 0.73 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
8 Little Lever School Bolton hidden gem 0.13 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
9 Rivington and Blackrod High School Bolton 0.1 Good improving about even 1.01 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
10 Turton School Bolton hidden gem 0.08 Good about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
11 Smithills School Bolton -0.04 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.56 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
12 Ladybridge High School Bolton hidden gem -0.05 Good about even 0.92 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
13 St James's Church of England High School Bolton -0.07 Good oversubscribed 1.6 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
14 Harper Green School Bolton hidden gem -0.11 Good improving undersubscribed 0.53 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
15 St Joseph's RC High School Bolton -0.14 Not judged declining about even 1.06 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
16 Thornleigh Salesian College Bolton -0.22 Not judged about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
17 Westhoughton High School Bolton -0.64 Requires improvement about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
18 University Collegiate School Bolton -0.98 Not judged undersubscribed 0.78 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate

Also in Bolton

5 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 Bolton, not a fairer one.

Applying in Bolton

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 Bolton admission criteria.

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