A town in Cheshire West and Chester
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were close to England in 2026. Attendance is close to the England figure.
Chester at a glance
How Chester's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
23 mainstream schools in Chester, best first
Results well above the England average.
44 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1190%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
33 first choices, 26 offers made
Met the standard at 1196%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
32 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1188%
England 62%
6 mainstream schools in Chester, best first
Results well above the England average.
284 first choices, 292 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.6
England 46.2
Chester, CH3 5XF · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Results well above the England average.
219 first choices, 202 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1653.7
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
124 first choices, 128 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.6
England 46.2
25 in Chester, highest Ofsted grade first
Chester, CH1 4BE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Chester, CH3 7DB · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Chester, CH1 3AD · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
8 in Chester, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
284 first choices, 292 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.6
England 46.2
Chester, CH3 5XF · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Results well above the England average.
219 first choices, 202 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1653.7
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
124 first choices, 128 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.6
England 46.2
4 in Chester. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Ch1 2hu · Independent · All-through · Ages 4 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Chester, CH2 1HD · Special · All-through · Ages 4 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Ch2 3hr · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
4 in Chester. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Ch1 2hu · Independent · All-through · Ages 4 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Ch2 3hr · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Ch2 2hj · Independent · Primary · Ages 3 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Chester school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 23 inspected are Good or better.
25nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 61% met the standard at 11.
29schools
Ages 11 to 16
All 3 inspected are Good or better. 45% got grade 5 in English and maths.
12schools
All 3 inspected are Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
4schools
Here's how Chester's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
ChesterEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 16 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
3 of the 3 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
61%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
45%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
17%
England 18%
Close to England
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
20%
Latest graded inspection for the 23 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Chester in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Chester has 61 schools and nurseries.
There are 10% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
20% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Chester's state schools each January.
Up 10% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Chester20%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Chester has 61 schools, including 29 primary schools, 12 secondary schools, 25 nurseries, 4 independent schools, 4 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Chester on Eduscope are Mill View Primary School, St Martin's Academy Chester, Boughton Heath Academy. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
100% of inspected schools in Chester hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 4 schools rated Outstanding and 19 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Chester, 61% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Chester is 16.8:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Chester is 17.3%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 11,871 pupils enrolled across schools in Chester, with 6,091 in primary and 5,780 in secondary. 20.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 4 independent schools in Chester. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Chester on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 61 schools in Chester by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
