Milton Keynes’s best secondary schools 2025
Trying to find the right school for your child in Milton Keynes? You’re in the right place.
With so many options, many parents find themselves drowning in league tables and Ofsted reports. That’s exactly why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Our expert team has analysed the latest 2023/2024 Department for Education data to bring you a list of the top-performing state secondary schools in Milton Keynes.
We show two ranking tables, one for Progress 8 and one for GCSE 9–7 results, and also provide a complete list of all secondary schools in Milton Keynes. This full list includes Progress 8 scores, GCSE 9–7 percentages, and Ofsted ratings where available. The schools in this table are ordered alphabetically rather than ranked, so you can easily see every school in one place, even if some data points are missing.
Top secondary schools in Milton Keynes by Progress 8
St Paul's Catholic School is currently ranked #1 in Milton Keynes based on its published Progress 8 score of +1.18. Progress 8 is a headline accountability measure used by the Department for Education to show how much progress pupils make between the end of primary school and their GCSEs, compared to students with similar prior attainment nationally.
Rank | School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | St Paul's Catholic School | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | +1.18 | Good | 15.37% |
2 | Shenley Brook End School | Academy converter | Mixed | +1.11 | Good | 20.77% |
3 | KWS Milton Keynes | Other independent special school | Boys | +0.84 | - | - |
4 | The Redway School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.48 | Good | - |
5 | The Woodlands School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.4 | Good | - |
6 | Thornton College | Other independent school | Girls | +0.34 | - | 38.13% |
7 | The Radcliffe School | Foundation school | Mixed | +0.11 | - | 8.33% |
8 | Stephenson Academy | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | +0.07 | - | 0% |
9 | Walton High | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.02 | Good | 17.54% |
10 | Sir Herbert Leon Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.18 | - | 10.69% |
11 | Denbigh School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.3 | Good | 31.88% |
12 | White Spire School | Community special school | Mixed | -0.39 | Outstanding | - |
13 | Lord Grey Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.45 | Good | 9.8% |
14 | The Hazeley Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.54 | Good | 20.4% |
15 | Stantonbury School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -1.5 | Requires improvement | 13.71% |
16 | The Milton Keynes Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -2.96 | - | 10.81% |
Note: Rankings use 2023/2024 CSP data for state-funded schools and may not reflect recent changes, check school websites for the latest information.
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Top secondary schools in Milton Keynes by GCSE % 9–7
The Webber Independent School is currently ranked #1 in Milton Keynes based on the percentage of GCSE grades awarded at 9–7. This measure highlights how many pupils achieve the very top exam results, giving a clear picture of each school’s academic excellence.
Rank | School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Webber Independent School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 46.45% |
2 | Thornton College | Other independent school | Girls | +0.34 | - | 38.13% |
3 | Denbigh School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.3 | Good | 31.88% |
4 | Oakgrove School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 26.07% |
5 | Shenley Brook End School | Academy converter | Mixed | +1.11 | Good | 20.77% |
6 | The Hazeley Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.54 | Good | 20.4% |
7 | Kents Hill Park all-through school | Free schools | Mixed | - | Good | 19.56% |
8 | Walton High | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.02 | Good | 17.54% |
9 | Elizabeth Woodville School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | - | 17.46% |
10 | St Paul's Catholic School | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | +1.18 | Good | 15.37% |
11 | Stantonbury School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -1.5 | Requires improvement | 13.71% |
12 | The Milton Keynes Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -2.96 | - | 10.81% |
13 | Sir Herbert Leon Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.18 | - | 10.69% |
14 | Lord Grey Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.45 | Good | 9.8% |
15 | The Radcliffe School | Foundation school | Mixed | +0.11 | - | 8.33% |
16 | Stephenson Academy | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | +0.07 | - | 0% |
Note: Rankings use 2023/2024 CSP data for state-funded schools and may not reflect recent changes, check school websites for the latest information.
All secondary schools in Milton Keynes
Below is the complete list of secondary schools in Milton Keynes, including both state-funded and independent schools where data is available. This table provides an at-a-glance view of each school’s key performance metrics, including Progress 8 scores, the percentage of GCSE grades awarded at 9–7, and Ofsted ratings, where published.
School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baytul Ilm Secondary School | Other independent school | Boys | - | - | - |
Cambian Bletchley Park School | Other independent special school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Denbigh School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.3 | Good | 31.88% |
Elizabeth Woodville School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | - | 17.46% |
Fulbrook School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | - |
Glebe Farm School | Free schools | Mixed | - | - | - |
KWS Milton Keynes | Other independent special school | Boys | +0.84 | - | - |
Kents Hill Park all-through school | Free schools | Mixed | - | Good | 19.56% |
Lord Grey Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.45 | Good | 9.8% |
Oakgrove School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 26.07% |
Romans Field School | Community special school | Mixed | - | Good | - |
Shenley Brook End School | Academy converter | Mixed | +1.11 | Good | 20.77% |
Sir Herbert Leon Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.18 | - | 10.69% |
Slated Row School | Community special school | Mixed | - | Outstanding | - |
St Paul's Catholic School | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | +1.18 | Good | 15.37% |
Stantonbury School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -1.5 | Requires improvement | 13.71% |
Stephenson Academy | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | +0.07 | - | 0% |
Swanbourne House School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | - |
The Hazeley Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.54 | Good | 20.4% |
The Milton Keynes Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -2.96 | - | 10.81% |
The Radcliffe School | Foundation school | Mixed | +0.11 | - | 8.33% |
The Redway School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.48 | Good | - |
The Webber Independent School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 46.45% |
The Woodlands School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.4 | Good | - |
Thornton College | Other independent school | Girls | +0.34 | - | 38.13% |
Walton High | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.02 | Good | 17.54% |
Watling Academy | Free schools | Mixed | - | Outstanding | - |
White Spire School | Community special school | Mixed | -0.39 | Outstanding | - |
Willow Park School | Other independent special school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Disclaimer
All data on this page is sourced from the Department for Education’s 2023/2024 Compare School Performance dataset. It includes state-funded and, where available, independent secondary schools. Some schools may be missing data for Progress 8 scores, GCSE 9–7 results, or Ofsted ratings due to unpublished or unavailable figures. Rankings are based only on schools with published data and may not reflect recent changes. Please check school websites for the latest information.How we ranked the best schools in Milton Keynes?
Why trust our rankings? Our analysis is based on the latest 2023/2024 data from the Department for Education’s Compare School Performance (CSP) database, which publishes official performance data for all secondary schools in England, including both state-funded and independent schools where available.
We’ve created separate tables to highlight top performers in three key areas:
- Progress 8 (pupil progress from KS2 to GCSE)
- GCSE 9–7 grades (academic excellence)
- Overall school listings, with available Ofsted ratings
Schools are primarily ranked by their Progress 8 score. This clever metric doesn’t just reward schools with high-attaining intakes – it highlights the ones that genuinely support student growth by measuring progress from the end of primary school to GCSEs. It adjusts for prior attainment, making it one of the fairest ways to compare schools.
Where available, we also show the percentage of GCSE grades at 9–7 to reflect high academic achievement, and Ofsted ratings for added context. All figures come directly from CSP’s official dataset.
Where Progress 8 data is not available for any schools in Milton Keynes, the corresponding table will not be shown. This simply means that no schools in this area had published Progress 8 scores at the time of the latest dataset, it does not reflect on the quality of the schools themselves.
How to support your child at home
Helping your child succeed at school doesn’t just happen in the classroom, the right support at home can make a big difference. Encourage a regular study routine, provide a quiet space for learning, and take an interest in what they’re covering in lessons. Even small actions, like checking in on homework or discussing what they learned that day, can build motivation and accountability.
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