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Best grammar schools in Essex

Schools for

Best grammar schools

Top: King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

  1. 183.3King Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordBoys · Essex · 100% grade 5+ English and maths
  2. 282.1Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolBoys · Essex · 100% grade 5+ English and maths
  3. 380.7Chelmsford County High School for GirlsGirls · Essex · 99.4% grade 5+ English and maths
  4. 480.6Colchester County High School for GirlsGirls · Essex · 100% grade 5+ English and maths
  5. 577.6Westcliff High School for Boys AcademyBoys · Southend-on-Sea · 97.7% grade 5+ English and maths
  6. 675.6Westcliff High School for GirlsGirls · Southend-on-Sea · 97.3% grade 5+ English and maths
  7. 775.0Southend High School for GirlsGirls · Southend-on-Sea · 98.9% grade 5+ English and maths
  8. 873.8Southend High School for BoysBoys · Southend-on-Sea · 97.2% grade 5+ English and maths

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Questions people ask

What is the best grammar school in Essex?

On 2024/25 GCSE results, King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford had the highest Attainment 8 (83.3), then Colchester Royal Grammar School (82.1) and Chelmsford County High School for Girls (80.7).

What is the best grammar school in Essex for girls?

Chelmsford County High School for Girls, with an Attainment 8 of 80.7 in 2024/25.

What is the best grammar school in Essex for boys?

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, with an Attainment 8 of 83.3 in 2024/25.

How many grammar schools are there in Essex?

8 counting Southend: 4 for boys and 4 for girls. Essex and Southend share one 11+, set by the CSSE.

Which Essex grammar school adds the most?

On Progress 8, which compares GCSEs with Year 6 SATs, King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford was highest in 2023/24 (+1.11). The DfE did not publish Progress 8 for 2024/25.

Are the top schools the hardest to get into?

Usually. The highest-ranked schools tend to have the most applicants per place and the highest cut-off scores, and some take only children living nearby.

How we work this out

What it does

All 8 of Essex's state grammar schools, ranked by their published GCSE results. Pick a boy or a girl to see the schools they could join.

The 8 state grammar schools in Essex and Southend-on-Sea, with the Department for Education's final GCSE (key stage 4) results for 2022/23 to 2024/25.

Method

  1. Attainment 8 is a pupil's average across eight GCSEs, with English and maths counted twice; the school figure is the average of its pupils.
  2. Grade 5+ in English and maths is the share of pupils with a grade 5 or above in both. Many grammar schools are at or near 100%, so ties are ranked equal and ordered by Attainment 8.
  3. Progress 8 compares pupils' GCSEs with others who had the same Year 6 SATs. The DfE did not publish it for 2024/25, so that ranking uses 2023/24.