Cranbrook School vs Highsted Grammar School

Side by side

	Cranbrook School	Highsted Grammar School
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Mixed	Girls
Pupils on roll	918	832
Free school meals	4.6%	12.4%
Ofsted rating	Good	Good
Attainment 8 — 2024/25	66.9	61.1
A-level average points — 2024/25	40.61	33.8
11+ test board	GL Assessment	GL Assessment
Admission system	score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold)	score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold)
Places offered — 202627	88	109
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.62	1.28

Qualifying scores

Cranbrook School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

Highsted Grammar School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

Who gets priority

Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.

Cranbrook School

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs, supported by professional evidence
Children living in the school's designated area or linked primary school catchment
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Highsted Grammar School

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs, supported by professional evidence
Children living in the school's designated area or linked primary school catchment
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Cranbrook School is a mixed school and Highsted Grammar School is a girls school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.

Other Kent comparisons

All grammar school comparisons →