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Best secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester

20 of 22 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Cheshire West and Chester 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. We hold real catchment boundaries for 16 of them.

# School Progress 8 Ofsted Places Catchment
1 Bishop Heber High School Malpas 0.72 Good about even 1.02 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
2 The County High School, Leftwich Northwich 0.6 Outstanding about even 1.1 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
3 Upton-by-Chester High School Chester hidden gem 0.36 Good about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
4 Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College Tarporley hidden gem 0.34 Good declining about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
5 Christleton High School Chester hidden gem 0.28 Good declining about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
6 The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School Chester 0.26 Good about even 1.08 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
7 Neston High School Neston hidden gem 0.22 Good about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
8 St Nicholas Catholic High School Northwich hidden gem 0.17 Good about even 0.9 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
9 Weaverham High School Northwich 0.17 Good about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
10 Helsby High School Frodsham hidden gem 0.05 Good about even 0.95 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
11 Queen's Park High School Chester -0.04 Not judged about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
12 The Catholic High School, Chester Chester hidden gem -0.08 Good about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
13 Hartford Church of England High School Northwich -0.15 Good about even 1.02 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
14 The Rudheath Senior Academy Northwich hidden gem -0.22 Good improving about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
15 Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy Ellesmere Port -0.47 Requires improvement about even 0.95 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
16 Ellesmere Port Church of England College Ellesmere Port hidden gem -0.51 Good about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
17 The Whitby High School Ellesmere Port hidden gem -0.58 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
18 Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College Chester -0.63 Requires improvement about even 0.95 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
19 The Winsford Academy Winsford -1.1 Not judged undersubscribed 0.82 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
20 Chester International School Chester -1.2 Good — approximate

Also in Cheshire West and Chester

2 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 Cheshire West and Chester, not a fairer one.

Applying in Cheshire West and Chester

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 Cheshire West and Chester admission criteria.

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