Maidstone’s best secondary schools 2025
Trying to find the right school for your child in Maidstone? 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 Maidstone.
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 Maidstone. 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 Maidstone by Progress 8
Oakwood Park Grammar School is currently ranked #1 in Maidstone based on its published Progress 8 score of +1.11. 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 | Oakwood Park Grammar School | Academy converter | Boys | +1.11 | Good | 39.68% |
2 | Maidstone Grammar School | Foundation school | Boys | +0.73 | Good | 43.09% |
3 | Cornwallis Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | +0.17 | Good | 9.09% |
4 | Invicta Grammar School | Academy converter | Girls | -0.18 | Outstanding | 62.38% |
5 | Snowfields Academy | Free schools special | Mixed | -0.21 | Outstanding | 0% |
6 | Bower Grove School | Foundation special school | Mixed | -0.38 | Outstanding | 0% |
7 | St Simon Stock Catholic School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.39 | Good | 12.11% |
8 | OneSchool Global UK - Maidstone Campus | Other independent school | Mixed | -1.13 | - | 52.14% |
9 | The Maplesden Noakes School | Academy converter | Mixed | -1.18 | Good | 4.38% |
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 Maidstone by GCSE % 9–7
Invicta Grammar School is currently ranked #1 in Maidstone 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 | Invicta Grammar School | Academy converter | Girls | -0.18 | Outstanding | 62.38% |
2 | OneSchool Global UK - Maidstone Campus | Other independent school | Mixed | -1.13 | - | 52.14% |
3 | Maidstone Grammar School for Girls | Foundation school | Girls | - | Outstanding | 46.41% |
4 | Maidstone Grammar School | Foundation school | Boys | +0.73 | Good | 43.09% |
5 | Oakwood Park Grammar School | Academy converter | Boys | +1.11 | Good | 39.68% |
6 | Sutton Valence School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 33.76% |
7 | St Simon Stock Catholic School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.39 | Good | 12.11% |
8 | Cornwallis Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | +0.17 | Good | 9.09% |
9 | New Line Learning Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | - | 6.52% |
10 | Valley Park School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | - | 5.86% |
11 | St Augustine Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | 4.56% |
12 | The Maplesden Noakes School | Academy converter | Mixed | -1.18 | Good | 4.38% |
13 | The Lenham School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 4.14% |
14 | Bower Grove School | Foundation special school | Mixed | -0.38 | Outstanding | 0% |
15 | Snowfields Academy | Free schools special | Mixed | -0.21 | Outstanding | 0% |
16 | MEPA ACADEMY | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 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 Maidstone
Below is the complete list of secondary schools in Maidstone, 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% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bower Grove School | Foundation special school | Mixed | -0.38 | Outstanding | 0% |
Cornwallis Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | +0.17 | Good | 9.09% |
Five Acre Wood School | Foundation special school | Mixed | - | Outstanding | - |
Invicta Grammar School | Academy converter | Girls | -0.18 | Outstanding | 62.38% |
King's Reach Education | Other independent special school | Boys | - | - | - |
MEPA ACADEMY | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 0% |
Maidstone Grammar School | Foundation school | Boys | +0.73 | Good | 43.09% |
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls | Foundation school | Girls | - | Outstanding | 46.41% |
New Line Learning Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | - | 6.52% |
Oakwood Park Grammar School | Academy converter | Boys | +1.11 | Good | 39.68% |
OneSchool Global UK - Maidstone Campus | Other independent school | Mixed | -1.13 | - | 52.14% |
School of Science and Technology Maidstone | Free schools | Mixed | - | Outstanding | - |
Serenity School Maidstone | Other independent special school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Snowfields Academy | Free schools special | Mixed | -0.21 | Outstanding | 0% |
St Augustine Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | 4.56% |
St Simon Stock Catholic School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.39 | Good | 12.11% |
Sutton Valence School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 33.76% |
The Lenham School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 4.14% |
The Maplesden Noakes School | Academy converter | Mixed | -1.18 | Good | 4.38% |
Valley Park School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | - | 5.86% |
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 Maidstone?
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 Maidstone, 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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