Schools in Essex
612 schools across 64 towns
Based on the most recent published single-word Ofsted grades. Ofsted stopped issuing overall grades (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate) in September 2024, so schools inspected more recently — under Ofsted’s report cards — may not have one. Figures cover the 245 of 612 schools here that have a published grade.
Essex has 612 schools across 64 towns — 444 primary, 78 secondary, educating around 231,683 pupils. 89% of schools with a published Ofsted grade are rated Good or Outstanding (218 of 245). There are currently 125 open teaching jobs in Essex. Browse schools by town, compare Ofsted ratings and exam results, and find teaching jobs across Essex.
Essexlocal authority guide — teacher pay, ratios & spending →School spending in Essex
Gross expenditure per pupil — LA-maintained schools (2024-25).
Source: DfE “LA and school expenditure” (Consistent Financial Reporting), 2024-25, under the Open Government Licence. Covers council-maintained schools; academies report separately.
Top-performing schools in Essex
Ranked on the latest DfE results. Higher is better.
By Attainment 8 — average GCSE score
- 1King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford83.3Attainment 8
- 2Colchester Royal Grammar School82.1Attainment 8
- 3Chelmsford County High School for Girls80.7Attainment 8
- 4Colchester County High School for Girls80.6Attainment 8
- 5Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School61.0Attainment 8
Source: DfE performance tables, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Towns in Essex
Select a town to browse its schools and Ofsted ratings
Basildon
Benfleet
Billericay
Bishop's Stortford
BISHOP'S STORTFORD
Braintree
Brentwood
Buckhurst Hill
BUCKHURST HILL
Burnham-on-Crouch
Canvey Island
Castle Point
Chelmsford
CHELMSFORD
Chigwell
Clacton on Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-On-Sea
Colchester
COLCHESTER
Danbury
Dunmow
Epping
Epping Forest
Essex
Felsted
Frinton-on-Sea
Great Dunmow
Halstead
Harlow
Harwich
Haverhill
Hockley
Hullbridge
Ingatestone
Loughton
Maldon
Manningtree
Mistley
Newport
Old Harlow
Ongar
Rayleigh
RAYLEIGH
Rivenhall
Rochford
Romford
Royston
Saffron Walden
Southend-on-Sea
Southminster
Stansted
Stansted Mountfitchet
Sudbury
Tendring
Thundersley
Uttlesford
Waltham Abbey
WALTHAM ABBEY
Walton on the Naze
Westminster
Wickford
Witham
Woodford Bridge
Outstanding Schools in Essex
Schools rated Outstanding by Ofsted
Buttsbury Primary School
Billericay, Essex· CM12 0QR
856 pupils
KS2: 79% met expected standard
Trust: BUTTSBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford
Chelmsford, Essex· CM2 6PT
210 pupils
KS2: 87% met expected standard
Chatten Free School
Rivenhall, Essex· CM8 3HH
75 pupils
KS2: 0% met expected standard
Trust: HOPE LEARNING COMMUNITY
Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Chelmsford, Essex· CM1 1RW
1,236 pupils
Attainment 8: 80.7
Trust: CHELMSFORD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
Colchester County High School for Girls
Colchester, Essex· CO3 3US
1,210 pupils
Attainment 8: 80.6
Trust: ALPHA TRUST
Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery
Harlow, Essex· CM19 4BU
456 pupils
KS2: 85% met expected standard