Which school has the best GCSE results in Derbyshire?

On 2026 Attainment 8, St Mary's Catholic High School tops the table in Derbyshire with 60.3, against an England average of 46.2. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so compare a school's grade 5+ pass rate and, where published, its Progress 8 before reading the rank as a verdict.

When are the 2026 GCSE results for Derbyshire schools published?

Pupils receive their results in August, but school-by-school figures come from the DfE performance tables, which publish provisional results in the autumn (usually mid-October) and revised figures early in the new year. This table shows 2026 results, the 2025/26 academic year, and updates when the next release is imported.

What is Attainment 8?

Attainment 8 is the DfE's headline GCSE measure: the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. A score of 50 means pupils averaged roughly a grade 5 across those subjects. No Progress 8 exists for 2026 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2021.

Why does a school in Derbyshire show no GCSE results?

A school has no published figure when it had no Year 11 cohort in the year (a new school, or one that opened with younger year groups), when it converted to an academy and the DfE published results under its previous identity, or when it is independent and its pupils sat IGCSE, Pre-U or IB qualifications that the DfE tables do not count. Independent schools with a published figure are listed separately and unranked for that reason.

Derbyshire GCSE results 2026: secondary school league table

60 state secondary schools in Derbyshire ranked on their 2026 GCSE results (Attainment 8, the 2025/26 academic year, the latest DfE has published for every school), with grade 7+, grade 5+ and grade 4+ in English and maths, cohort size for each school against the England average. 4 independent schools with published results are listed separately, unranked.

County 60 state secondary schools 2025/26 results

Secondary schools in Derbyshire ranked on Attainment 8

60 of 60 schools have published 2026 results. Source: DfE school performance tables, 2025/26.

Secondary schools in Derbyshire ranked on Attainment 8, 2026 results
Rank	School	Attainment 8	Grade 7+ English & maths	Grade 5+ English & maths	Grade 4+ English & maths	EBacc APS	Pupils
–	England average	46.2	14%	46%	65%	–	–
1	St Mary's Catholic High School Chesterfield · Academy converter	60.3	26%	66%	83%	–	205
2	The Ecclesbourne School Belper · Academy converter	57.3	23%	68%	90%	–	232
3 , up 2 places since 2025	Littleover Community School Derby · Community school	54.5	22%	58%	76%	–	287
4 , up 3 places since 2025	John Port Spencer Academy Derby · Academy sponsor led	53.5	17%	63%	81%	–	320
5 , up 8 places since 2025	Chellaston Academy Derby · Academy converter	53.1	18%	56%	74%	–	292
6	Lady Manners School Bakewell · Foundation school	53.0	13%	63%	84%	–	235
7 , up 1 place since 2025	Brookfield Community School Chesterfield · Academy converter	52.0	18%	56%	79%	–	180
8 , down 5 places since 2025	Landau Forte College Derby · Academy sponsor led	51.6	17%	56%	77%	–	192
9 , up 5 places since 2025	Outwood Academy Newbold Chesterfield · Academy sponsor led	50.6	14%	56%	77%	–	176
10 , up 19 places since 2025	Hope Valley College Hope Valley · Academy sponsor led	50.5	16%	53%	71%	–	105
11 , up 9 places since 2025	Highfields School Matlock · Academy converter	49.6	18%	50%	75%	–	224
12 , down 2 places since 2025	Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School Dronfield · Voluntary controlled school	49.4	13%	52%	75%	–	298
13 , down 4 places since 2025	Wilsthorpe School Nottingham · Academy converter	49.3	17%	49%	71%	–	208
14 , up 33 places since 2025	St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop · Academy sponsor led	49.2	13%	48%	75%	–	112
15 , up 18 places since 2025	Chapel-en-le-Frith High School High Peak · Community school	48.9	10%	48%	72%	–	185
16 , up 11 places since 2025	New Mills School High Peak · Community school	48.5	11%	47%	68%	–	114
17= , down 13 places since 2025	John Flamsteed Community School Ripley · Academy converter	48.4	8%	50%	68%	–	173
17= , up 8 places since 2025	Saint Benedict Derby · Academy converter	48.4	11%	44%	65%	–	245
19	Outwood Academy Hasland Hall Chesterfield · Academy sponsor led	47.9	15%	55%	73%	–	166
20 , up 4 places since 2025	Anthony Gell School Matlock · Academy converter	46.7	9%	45%	63%	–	128
21	Allestree Woodlands School Derby · Academy converter	46.3	11%	44%	70%	–	232
22 , up 10 places since 2025	Friesland School Sandiacre · Academy converter	46.0	12%	44%	66%	–	214
23 , down 7 places since 2025	Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Ashbourne · Academy converter	45.8	11%	43%	67%	–	194
24 , down 6 places since 2025	Derby Moor Spencer Academy Derby · Academy converter	45.7	8%	41%	65%	–	286
25 , down 10 places since 2025	West Park School Derby · Academy converter	45.3	11%	40%	59%	–	282
26 , down 5 places since 2025	Granville Academy Swadlincote · Academy converter	45.0	11%	49%	68%	–	169
27 , down 10 places since 2025	Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy Ilkeston · Academy converter	44.4	11%	38%	65%	–	133
28= , up 17 places since 2025	Eckington School Sheffield · Academy converter	44.1	7%	45%	62%	–	226
28= , up 7 places since 2025	Swanwick Hall School Alfreton · Academy converter	44.1	6%	37%	61%	–	197
30 , up 17 places since 2025	Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy Ilkeston · Academy sponsor led	43.8	8%	50%	68%	–	174
31 , up 8 places since 2025	Derby Cathedral School Derby · Free schools	43.7	7%	39%	63%	–	176
32 , up 2 places since 2025	Glossopdale School and Sixth Form Glossop · Academy sponsor led	43.6	11%	40%	56%	–	207
33= , down 22 places since 2025	Heanor Gate Spencer Academy Heanor · Academy converter	43.4	8%	43%	58%	–	196
33= , up 18 places since 2025	The Pingle Academy Swadlincote · Academy converter	43.4	12%	43%	67%	–	218
33= , up 8 places since 2025	Tupton Hall School Chesterfield · Academy sponsor led	43.4	7%	37%	59%	–	235
36 , down 6 places since 2025	Belper School and Sixth Form Centre Belper · Foundation school	43.3	4%	47%	65%	–	207
37 , up 5 places since 2025	David Nieper Academy Alfreton · Academy sponsor led	43.2	9%	36%	56%	–	141
38= , up 1 place since 2025	Lees Brook Academy Derby · Academy converter	43.0	11%	35%	54%	–	170
38= , up 7 places since 2025	Murray Park Community School Derby · Foundation school	43.0	13%	44%	60%	–	220
40= , down 14 places since 2025	The Bolsover School Chesterfield · Academy converter	42.9	7%	45%	65%	–	157
40= , down 13 places since 2025	The Ripley Academy Ripley · Academy converter	42.9	9%	36%	64%	–	173
40= , down 9 places since 2025	Tibshelf Community School Alfreton · Community school	42.9	10%	45%	60%	–	159
43 , down 7 places since 2025	Netherthorpe School Chesterfield · Academy converter	42.8	4%	41%	53%	–	158
44= , down 6 places since 2025	Buxton Community School Buxton · Academy converter	42.1	6%	33%	57%	–	172
44= , down 32 places since 2025	St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy Buxton · Academy converter	42.1	10%	39%	60%	–	88
46 , down 23 places since 2025	Frederick Gent School Alfreton · Academy sponsor led	41.5	5%	28%	54%	–	153
47 , down 11 places since 2025	The Long Eaton School Nottingham · Academy converter	41.3	5%	34%	56%	–	194
48 , up 4 places since 2025	Kirk Hallam Community Academy Ilkeston · Academy converter	40.6	5%	40%	61%	–	129
49 , down 5 places since 2025	Whittington Green School Chesterfield · Community school	40.4	3%	33%	53%	–	122
50 , up 9 places since 2025	Mercia Academy Swadlincote · Academy sponsor led	38.7	4%	29%	49%	–	130
51 , down 1 place since 2025	Shirebrook Academy Mansfield · Academy sponsor led	38.4	3%	26%	53%	–	153
52 , up 5 places since 2025	Aldercar High School Nottingham · Academy converter	38.3	7%	31%	46%	–	125
53	Springwell Community College Chesterfield · Academy converter	38.0	6%	36%	52%	–	164
54 , down 5 places since 2025	Heritage High School Chesterfield · Academy sponsor led	37.7	7%	34%	52%	–	168
55 , down 13 places since 2025	Parkside Community School Chesterfield · Academy converter	36.4	4%	19%	37%	–	122
56 , down 2 places since 2025	Noel-Baker Academy Derby · Academy sponsor led	35.2	6%	28%	45%	–	229
57 , down 1 place since 2025	Da Vinci Academy Derby · Academy sponsor led	35.0	5%	25%	45%	–	136
58	The Bemrose School Derby · Foundation school	34.2	6%	21%	40%	–	195
59 , up 1 place since 2025	Alvaston Moor Academy Derby · Academy sponsor led	33.6	8%	27%	44%	–	159
60 , down 5 places since 2025	City of Derby Academy Derby · Academy sponsor led	31.8	2%	16%	36%	–	192

Schools with the same Attainment 8 score share a rank (shown as "=").

Under each rank: the change since the 2025 table, in places gained (+) or lost (−). No figure means the rank is unchanged or the school had no ranked 2025 result.

Independent schools in Derbyshire with published GCSE results

Listed as published, not ranked. The DfE tables count only reformed GCSEs, so a school whose pupils sit IGCSE, Pre-U or the IB reports a lower figure than its results merit, or none at all. Compare independent schools on their own published examination results and inspection reports.

School	Attainment 8 (as published)	Grade 5+ English & maths	Pupils
Derby High School Derby · Other independent school	43.3	0%	79
Normanton House School Derby · Other independent school	56.7	83%	12
Repton School Derby · Other independent school	31.6	0%	115
Trent College Nottingham · Other independent school	61.0	72%	123

How to read this table

Attainment 8 is the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight GCSE subjects: English and maths (double-weighted), three EBacc subjects (sciences, computing, history, geography, languages) and three further approved qualifications. The DfE publishes it for every state school; the England average for 2026 was 46.2.

Grade 7+ in English and maths is the share of pupils reaching the top grades, 7 to 9, in both; grade 5+ is the "strong pass"; grade 4+ is the "standard pass". The DfE stopped publishing EBacc entry and the EBacc average point score from the 2025/26 results, so that column is empty for 2026.

Progress 8 is not shown: the DfE published no Progress 8 for 2026 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2021, the baseline it is measured from. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so a selective school will usually top an attainment-only table.

Ranks are shared where scores tie. Schools are ranked here on published results alone; our composite score, which also weighs Ofsted inspection, progress and attendance, orders the same schools on the best secondary schools page.

See the best secondary schools in Derbyshire on our composite score

Derbyshire GCSE results 2026: secondary school league table

Secondary schools in Derbyshire ranked on Attainment 8

Independent schools in Derbyshire with published GCSE results

More about schools in Derbyshire

Derbyshire GCSE results: common questions