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Best secondary schools in East Sussex

20 of 26 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all East Sussex 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 17 of them.

# School Progress 8 Ofsted Places Catchment
1 Beacon Academy Crowborough hidden gem 0.5 Outstanding improving about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
2 Priory School Lewes hidden gem 0.48 Good about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
3 Seaford Head School Seaford 0.47 Outstanding about even 1.06 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
4 Chailey School Lewes 0.36 Good oversubscribed 1.26 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
5 Heathfield Community College Heathfield 0.3 Good about even 1.09 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
6 King's Academy Ringmer Lewes hidden gem 0.3 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
7 Uckfield College Uckfield 0.27 Outstanding about even 1.12 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
8 Peacehaven Community School Peacehaven 0.21 Good about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
9 St Catherine's College Eastbourne 0.09 Good oversubscribed 1.4 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
10 Willingdon Community School Eastbourne 0.08 Good oversubscribed 1.2 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
11 Claverham Community College Battle -0.07 Good declining oversubscribed 1.36 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
12 Ratton School Eastbourne hidden gem -0.1 Good about even 0.92 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
13 Seahaven Academy Newhaven hidden gem -0.23 Good undersubscribed 0.68 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
14 Uplands Academy Wadhurst hidden gem -0.23 Good undersubscribed 0.75 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
15 Bexhill High Academy Bexhill-on-Sea -0.59 Not judged improving undersubscribed 0.79 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
16 Ark Alexandra Academy HASTINGS -0.79 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.79 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
17 Rye College Rye hidden gem -0.85 Good about even 0.91 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
18 The Eastbourne Academy Eastbourne -0.88 Not judged declining undersubscribed 0.46 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
19 The Turing School Eastbourne -0.99 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.48 first prefs per place, 2026/27 mapped
20 Mulberry Academy Hastings Hastings -1.29 Requires improvement about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate

Also in East Sussex

6 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 East Sussex, not a fairer one.

Applying in East Sussex

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 East Sussex admission criteria.

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