The Department for Education has published the 2026 secondary school performance tables, revealing that two grammar schools in the London borough of Barnet have achieved the highest GCSE results in England. Queen Elizabeth's School and the Henrietta Barnett School both recorded 100% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and Maths, with an average attainment score of 8.71 – equivalent to an A or A*. The data arrives just two weeks before the 31st October deadline for secondary school applications.
Historic institutions lead the rankings
Queen Elizabeth's School, a boys' grammar school founded in 1573 by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, shares the top spot with the Henrietta Barnett School, a girls' grammar established in 1911. Both institutions achieved the joint highest average GCSE results in the country, with pupils scoring an average of 8.71 each.
Wilson's School in Sutton, which topped the tables last year, has dropped to third place with an average score of 8.68 – also equivalent to an A or A*. The Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston upon Thames follows closely with 8.60, while St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School in Bromley recorded 8.50.
Regional performance and national trends
The Perse School in Cambridgeshire achieved an average score of 8.44, with Tiffin School in Kingston upon Thames at 8.31 and King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford at 8.30. In the North of England, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in Trafford posted the highest average score at 7.91, followed by Heckmondwike Grammar School in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, with 7.89.
Nationally, GCSE results improved slightly for state-funded schools. Just under half (46.3%) of pupils achieved grade 5 or higher in both English and Maths – up 0.9 percentage points from 45.4% in 2024/25 and up from 43.2% in 2018/19. The average GCSE score rose marginally from 4.61 to 4.62, though it remains below the 4.67 record set in 2018/19, the last full academic year before the Covid pandemic.
Regional disparities and full list of top schools
Performance varies significantly across England. The West Midlands recorded the lowest proportion of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and Maths at 42.6%, followed by the North West at 43.3%, the North East at 44.0%, and the East Midlands also at 44.0%. Outer London led the country with 55.0%, while Inner London achieved 53.1% and the South East 48.4%.
Thirteen schools achieved a 100% rating for all pupils attaining at least grade 5 in English and Maths: The Henrietta Barnett School (Barnet), Queen Elizabeth's School (Barnet), St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School (Bromley), The Tiffin Girls' School (Kingston upon Thames), Tiffin School (Kingston upon Thames), Wilson's School (Sutton), Nonsuch High School for Girls (Sutton), Sutton Grammar School (Sutton), Wallington High School for Girls (Sutton), Heritage Academy (Birmingham), Dr Challoner's High School (Buckinghamshire), South Wilts Grammar School (Wiltshire), and Rugby High School (Warwickshire).
This year's tables again omit Progress 8 scores, which measure pupil improvement between ages 11 and 16. Due to Covid lockdowns, these figures could not be calculated for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years. Schools are ranked by three Key Stage 4 metrics: the percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and Maths, the percentage passing at least five GCSEs, and the average exam result based on an attainment score.
The top schools by attainment score include The Henrietta Barnett School (8.71), Queen Elizabeth's School (8.71), Wilson's School (8.68), The Tiffin Girls' School (8.6), St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School (8.5), The Perse School (8.44), Tiffin School (8.31), King Edward VI Grammar School (8.3), Sutton Grammar School (8.26), Kendrick School (8.24), Pate's Grammar School (8.24), Wallington County Grammar School (8.2), Stratford Girls' Grammar School (8.19), Nonsuch High School for Girls (8.18), Chelmsford County High School for Girls (8.14), Woodford County High School (8.12), King Edward VI School (8.11), The Latymer School (8.09), Colchester Royal Grammar School (8.09), and Cheltenham Ladies' College (8.08).
