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Best secondary schools in Oxfordshire

38 of 50 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Oxfordshire 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 The Cherwell School Oxford 0.88 Outstanding oversubscribed 1.63 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
2 Didcot Girls' School Didcot 0.87 Outstanding about even 1.06 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
3 Bartholomew School Witney 0.8 Outstanding about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
4 Gillotts School Henley-on-Thames 0.71 Outstanding improving oversubscribed 1.28 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
5 Langtree School Reading 0.65 Good oversubscribed 1.39 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
6 The Swan School Oxford 0.55 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
7 Wheatley Park School Oxford 0.55 Good about even 0.95 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
8 Oxford Spires Academy Oxford 0.53 Good about even 0.99 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
9 St Birinus School Didcot 0.36 Not judged undersubscribed 0.83 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
10 Wallingford School Wallingford 0.31 Good oversubscribed 1.28 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
11 The Marlborough Church of England School Woodstock 0.3 Good about even 1.01 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
12 Chipping Norton School Chipping Norton 0.29 Not judged about even 1.01 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
13 Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth Form Banbury 0.24 Good about even 1.08 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
14 Icknield Community College Watlington hidden gem 0.24 Good about even 0.88 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
15 Burford School Burford 0.21 Good about even 1.08 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
16 Cheney School Oxford hidden gem 0.19 Good about even 0.88 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
17 Matthew Arnold School Oxford 0.18 Not judged undersubscribed 0.73 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
18 North Oxfordshire Academy Banbury 0.14 Good oversubscribed 1.28 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
19 Fitzharrys School Abingdon 0.12 Good oversubscribed 1.5 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
20 Lord Williams's School Thame 0.06 Good about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
21 Faringdon Community College Faringdon 0.03 Good about even 0.95 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
22 Larkmead School Abingdon 0.02 Good oversubscribed 1.16 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
23 The Warriner School Banbury 0.01 Good about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
24 King Alfred's Wantage hidden gem -0.02 Good undersubscribed 0.75 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
25 Greyfriars Catholic School Oxford hidden gem -0.04 Good undersubscribed 0.74 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
26 The Bicester School Bicester hidden gem -0.16 Good undersubscribed 0.79 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
27 The Cooper School Bicester -0.21 Not judged undersubscribed 0.65 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
28 The Henry Box School Witney hidden gem -0.32 Good about even 0.89 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
29 Gosford Hill School Kidlington hidden gem -0.36 Good about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
30 Wood Green School Witney -0.38 Good about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
31 Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge Reading hidden gem -0.4 Good undersubscribed 0.2 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
32 Aureus School Didcot -0.46 Not judged about even 1.04 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
33 John Mason School Abingdon hidden gem -0.52 Good improving undersubscribed 0.36 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
34 Futures Institute Banbury Banbury -0.56 Good — approximate
35 Carterton Community College Carterton -0.61 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
36 Wykham Park Banbury hidden gem -0.65 Good improving undersubscribed 0.45 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
37 The Oxford Academy Oxford -0.72 Requires improvement undersubscribed 0.67 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
38 UTC Oxfordshire Didcot -0.84 Good — approximate

Also in Oxfordshire

12 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 Oxfordshire, not a fairer one.

Applying in Oxfordshire

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 Oxfordshire admission criteria.

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