REVEALED: The 100 best state schools in Britain - so where does YOUR child's school rank?

Detailed summary

Here, based on both academic achievement and all-round education offered, is our pick of the country's best state schools…

Published: 17:09 GMT, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 17:56 GMT, 12 November 2026

Since Labour introduced VAT on private school fees in January 2025, more than 100 of them have closed, making Britain’s best state schools more in demand than ever before.

The 20 per cent cost hike means many parents have turned their backs on independent schooling, with children switching to state education.

This has piled pressure on long-established institutions. Among the private schools to have closed are the century-old Moorlands School in Leeds – which directly blamed Labour’s tax raid – and Queen Margaret’s School for Girls, near York. More recently, Thetford Grammar School, one of the oldest schools in Britain, rang the school bell for the final time this summer, saying it was no longer financially viable.

While the Department for Education (DfE) doesn't officially report finalised, detailed data on the 2026 GCSE results until February 2027, the majority of secondary schools already feature the results on their websites.

In 2026, the average percentage of GCSE pupils in England who achieved a Grade 5 (the equivalent of a high C) or above in both English and Maths was 46.3 per cent, up from 45.4 per cent in 2025.

State-funded schools that have soared way above that include Michaela Community School in Wembley – run by Katharine Birbalsingh, dubbed ‘Britain's strictest headmistress’ – which saw 99.2 per cent of pupils score a Grade 5 or above in English and Maths.

Queen Elizabeth's School, a boys' grammar in Barnet, reported that 100 per cent of pupils scored a Grade 5 or above in these subjects – while more than two-thirds of all GCSEs – 69 per cent – were awarded a Grade 9 (A* equivalent).

So, which schools in England, Scotland and Wales offer a stellar education? Here, we’ve consulted experts and The Good Schools Guide; analysed Ofsted and the latest official DfE data on GCSE results for 2025; and looked at 2026 results reported by schools, to bring you our pick of Britain's best state…

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Mail. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.