Best secondary schools in Brighton and Hove
10 of 14 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Brighton and Hove 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.
- 7 of 14 rated Good or Outstanding
- 3 oversubscribed on first preference
- 5 Good or better and undersubscribed — the overlooked ones
- Median Progress 8: 0.05 (best 0.84)
| # | School | Progress 8 | Ofsted | Places | Catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King's School Hove | 0.84 | Good | oversubscribed 1.24 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 2 | Cardinal Newman Catholic School Hove | 0.56 | Not judged declining | oversubscribed 1.4 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 3 | Varndean School Brighton | 0.42 | Good | oversubscribed 1.25 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 4 | Blatchington Mill School Hove hidden gem | 0.3 | Good | undersubscribed 0.78 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 5 | Dorothy Stringer School Brighton hidden gem | 0.11 | Good | about even 0.91 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 6 | Portslade Aldridge Community Academy Brighton hidden gem | -0.01 | Good | about even 0.87 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 7 | Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre Hove hidden gem | -0.13 | Good | undersubscribed 0.68 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 8 | Brighton Aldridge Community Academy Brighton | -0.4 | Not judged | undersubscribed 0.84 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 9 | Patcham High School Brighton hidden gem | -0.45 | Good improving | undersubscribed 0.73 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 10 | Longhill High School Brighton | -0.7 | Requires improvement declining | undersubscribed 0.75 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
Also in Brighton and Hove
4 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 Brighton and Hove, not a fairer one.
Applying in Brighton and Hove
Knowing which school is best is only half of it — these are the deadlines that decide whether you can apply at all.
- Secondary application deadline 2026-10-31 · 2027 entry Secondary Common Application Form (CAF) deadline for September 2027 entry (Year 7). National statutory deadline 31 October 2026; apply via your home local authority. Selective/grammar registration, if any, is a separate earlier deadline.
- Primary (Reception) application deadline 2027-01-15 · 2027 entry Primary (Reception) application deadline for September 2027 entry. National statutory deadline 15 January 2027; apply via your home local authority.
- Secondary National Offer Day 2027-03-01 · 2027 entry Secondary National Offer Day for September 2027 entry — state school Year 7 place offers (1 March).
- Primary National Offer Day 2027-04-16 · 2027 entry Primary National Offer Day for September 2027 entry — Reception place offers (16 April).
- Secondary application deadline 2027-10-31 · 2028 entry Secondary Common Application Form (CAF) deadline for September 2028 entry (Year 7). National statutory deadline 31 October 2027; apply via your home local authority. Selective/grammar registration, if any, is a separate earlier deadline.
- Primary (Reception) application deadline 2028-01-15 · 2028 entry Primary (Reception) application deadline for September 2028 entry. National statutory deadline 15 January 2028; apply via your home local authority.
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 Brighton and Hove admission criteria.
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