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Best secondary schools in Derbyshire

45 of 46 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Derbyshire 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 40 of them.

32 of 46 rated Good or Outstanding
4 oversubscribed on first preference
10 Good or better and undersubscribed — the overlooked ones
Median Progress 8: -0.17 (best 0.5)

#	School	Progress 8	Ofsted	Places	Catchment
1	St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Chesterfield	0.5	Outstanding	oversubscribed 1.31 first prefs per place, 2026/27	approximate
2	The Ecclesbourne School Belper	0.41	Good improving	about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
3	Outwood Academy Newbold Chesterfield hidden gem	0.38	Good	about even 0.87 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
4	Lady Manners School Bakewell	0.37	Good	about even 0.95 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
5	Brookfield Community School Chesterfield	0.35	Good	about even 1.06 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
6	Chapel-en-le-Frith High School High Peak	0.34	Not judged	oversubscribed 1.17 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
7	John Flamsteed Community School Ripley	0.34	Not judged	about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
8	Anthony Gell School Matlock	0.27	Good	about even 1.03 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
9	Wilsthorpe School Nottingham	0.27	Good	oversubscribed 1.33 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
10	Granville Academy Swadlincote	0.24	Not judged	about even 1.12 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
11	St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop hidden gem	0.22	Good	about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27	approximate
12	Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy Ilkeston	0.21	Good	about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27	approximate
13	New Mills School High Peak	0.18	Not judged declining	about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
14	Glossopdale School and Sixth Form Glossop hidden gem	0.14	Good	about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
15	Heanor Gate Spencer Academy Heanor	0.14	Outstanding improving	about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
16	John Port Spencer Academy Derby	0.11	Good	about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
17	Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School Dronfield	0.08	Good	about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
18	Highfields School Matlock	0.05	Good	about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
19	Friesland School Sandiacre hidden gem	0.03	Good	undersubscribed 0.69 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
20	The Pingle Academy Swadlincote hidden gem	-0.11	Good	about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
21	Tibshelf Community School Alfreton	-0.14	Good	about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
22	Whittington Green School Chesterfield	-0.15	Good improving	about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
23	Outwood Academy Hasland Hall Chesterfield hidden gem	-0.17	Good	about even 0.92 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
24	The Ripley Academy Ripley	-0.21	Good improving	about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
25	Hope Valley College Hope Valley	-0.23	Good	about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
26	Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Ashbourne	-0.25	Good improving	about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
27	Mercia Academy Swadlincote	-0.27	Not judged	undersubscribed 0.83 first prefs per place, 2026/27	approximate
28	Belper School and Sixth Form Centre Belper	-0.31	Not judged declining	about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
29	The Bolsover School Chesterfield	-0.32	Good	oversubscribed 1.2 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
30	The Long Eaton School Nottingham	-0.33	Requires improvement declining	undersubscribed 0.82 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
31	Frederick Gent School Alfreton hidden gem	-0.34	Good	about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
32	Shirebrook Academy Mansfield	-0.34	Not judged declining	about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
33	Eckington School Sheffield	-0.36	Inadequate	about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
34	Aldercar High School Nottingham	-0.39	Good	about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
35	Parkside Community School Chesterfield hidden gem	-0.39	Good	about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
36	Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy Ilkeston	-0.41	Good improving	about even 1.09 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
37	Buxton Community School Buxton hidden gem	-0.47	Good	about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
38	St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy Buxton	-0.51	Not judged	about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27	approximate
39	Tupton Hall School Chesterfield	-0.51	Good	about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
40	David Nieper Academy Alfreton	-0.55	Good improving	about even 1.11 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
41	Springwell Community College Chesterfield	-0.56	Not judged	about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
42	Swanwick Hall School Alfreton	-0.61	Good improving	about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
43	Netherthorpe School Chesterfield	-0.76	Not judged declining	about even 0.91 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
44	Kirk Hallam Community Academy Ilkeston	-0.84	Not judged	undersubscribed 0.84 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped
45	Heritage High School Chesterfield hidden gem	-1.09	Good improving	undersubscribed 0.85 first prefs per place, 2026/27	mapped

Also in Derbyshire

1 further secondary school 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 Derbyshire, not a fairer one.

Repton School

Applying in Derbyshire

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 Derbyshire admission criteria.

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