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Best secondary schools in Suffolk

42 of 45 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Suffolk 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 Debenham High School Stowmarket 0.76 Good about even 1.04 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
2 Stradbroke High School Eye 0.37 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
3 Northgate High School Ipswich 0.35 Not judged declining oversubscribed 1.34 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
4 Copleston High School Ipswich 0.34 Good about even 1.08 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
5 Thomas Gainsborough School Sudbury 0.21 Not judged about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
6 Hartismere School Eye 0.19 Not judged about even 1.05 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
7 Kesgrave High School Ipswich 0.17 Good about even 1.15 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
8 St Benedict's Catholic School Bury St Edmunds 0.17 Good oversubscribed 1.43 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
9 Sybil Andrews Academy Bury St. Edmunds hidden gem 0.15 Good improving about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
10 St Alban's Catholic High School Ipswich hidden gem 0.13 Good about even 0.87 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
11 Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form Woodbridge 0.1 Good improving about even 1.04 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
12 East Bergholt High School Colchester 0.09 Good about even 1.03 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
13 Bungay High School Bungay 0.08 Good about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
14 Stowmarket High School Stowmarket -0.03 Not judged about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
15 Bury St Edmunds County High School Bury St Edmunds hidden gem -0.09 Good undersubscribed 0.68 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
16 Ormiston Endeavour Academy Ipswich hidden gem -0.09 Good improving about even 0.93 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
17 King Edward VI CEVC School Bury St Edmunds -0.1 Good about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
18 Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and Mathematics Lowestoft -0.12 Not judged about even 1.03 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
19 Castle Manor Academy Haverhill -0.13 Good about even 1.1 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
20 Stour Valley Community School Sudbury -0.14 Good about even 1.04 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
21 Farlingaye High School Woodbridge -0.15 Good about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
22 Hadleigh High School Ipswich hidden gem -0.16 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
23 Thurston Community College Bury St Edmunds -0.16 Good about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
24 Claydon High School Ipswich -0.18 Good oversubscribed 1.21 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
25 Sir John Leman High School Beccles -0.22 Good about even 1.05 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
26 Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill hidden gem -0.23 Good declining undersubscribed 0.8 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
27 Mildenhall College Academy Mildenhall -0.29 Good about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
28 Ormiston Sudbury Academy Sudbury -0.3 Requires improvement about even 1.0 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
29 Alde Valley Academy Leiston -0.33 Requires improvement declining about even 0.98 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
30 Breckland School Brandon -0.34 Good improving about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
31 Ormiston Denes Academy Lowestoft -0.38 Not judged about even 0.91 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
32 Westbourne Academy Ipswich -0.38 Not judged improving undersubscribed 0.75 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
33 East Point Academy Lowestoft hidden gem -0.39 Good improving about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
34 Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy Ipswich hidden gem -0.41 Good undersubscribed 0.69 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
35 Felixstowe School Felixstowe -0.48 Good improving about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
36 Newmarket Academy Newmarket hidden gem -0.5 Good undersubscribed 0.84 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
37 Chantry Academy Ipswich -0.51 Good improving about even 1.09 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
38 Pakefield High School Lowestoft -0.53 Good about even 0.96 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
39 Ipswich Academy Ipswich -0.54 Requires improvement improving undersubscribed 0.69 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
40 Holbrook Academy Ipswich hidden gem -0.61 Good undersubscribed 0.83 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
41 Ixworth High School Ixworth -0.82 Not judged improving about even 0.91 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate
42 Beccles High School Beccles -1.15 Requires improvement declining about even 0.97 first prefs per place, 2026/27 approximate

Also in Suffolk

3 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 Suffolk, not a fairer one.

Applying in Suffolk

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 Suffolk admission criteria.

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