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Best secondary schools in Croydon

23 of 27 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Croydon 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 Coloma Convent Girls' School Croydon 0.52 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.78 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
2 Harris Academy South Norwood London hidden gem 0.45 Good declining undersubscribed 0.57 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
3 Coombe Wood School South Croydon 0.38 Good oversubscribed 1.84 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
4 Orchard Park High School Croydon 0.37 Good about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
5 St Mary's Catholic High School Croydon hidden gem 0.29 Good undersubscribed 0.42 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
6 Norbury High School for Girls Thornton Heath 0.27 Good undersubscribed 0.79 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
7 Harris City Academy Crystal Palace London 0.24 Not judged undersubscribed 0.84 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
8 Harris Academy Purley South Croydon hidden gem 0.23 Good declining undersubscribed 0.61 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
9 Riddlesdown Collegiate Purley 0.14 Outstanding oversubscribed 1.61 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
10 The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy Croydon 0.1 Not judged declining undersubscribed 0.7 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
11 St Joseph's College London hidden gem 0.04 Good improving undersubscribed 0.58 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
12 Harris Academy Beulah Hill London 0.0 — undersubscribed 0.65 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
13 Oasis Academy Shirley Park Croydon -0.07 Not judged declining undersubscribed 0.71 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
14 Woodcote High School Coulsdon hidden gem -0.07 Good improving undersubscribed 0.66 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
15 Harris Invictus Academy Croydon Croydon -0.1 Outstanding about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
16 Thomas More Catholic School Purley hidden gem -0.13 Good undersubscribed 0.47 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
17 Oasis Academy Coulsdon Croydon -0.15 Good about even 1.08 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
18 Archbishop Tenison's CofE High School Croydon hidden gem -0.18 Good undersubscribed 0.67 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
19 The Quest Academy South Croydon -0.35 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.63 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
20 BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology Croydon -0.36 — — approximate
21 Oasis Academy Arena London -0.5 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.55 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
22 Shirley High School Performing Arts College Croydon hidden gem -0.51 Good improving undersubscribed 0.59 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
23 Meridian High School Croydon hidden gem -0.7 Good improving undersubscribed 0.75 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate

Also in Croydon

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 Croydon, not a fairer one.

Applying in Croydon

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 Croydon admission criteria.

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