For families with school-age children, the availability of good schools is always a top consideration when choosing where to live. That’s why we’ve drawn together a list of the best schools in Manchester itself and the Greater Manchester area. This will give you a great idea of where to find the educational clusters of excellence if you’re planning to move here.
Manchester’s best schools are nationally competitive. This is due to a combination of its grammar school history, rising investment and high demand attracting outstanding teachers. The ongoing property development boom affecting Manchester and many of its surrounding towns means that the area is becoming a hotspot for young families moving here.
The following list of the 10 best schools in Greater Manchester comes from the website Snobe.co.uk. The site provides extensive data and rankings to help parents find the best schools for their children. For our rankings below we’ve listed state secondary schools (academies and maintained schools) that offer mixed-ability or selective admission. We haven’t included special schools in our list.
10 Best schools in Manchester – Secondary State Level
1: Levenshulme High School, Manchester
Levenshulme High School takes the crown as the best secondary school in Greater Manchester. An outstanding-rated secondary school, it’s located in the southeast Manchester suburb of Levenshulme. This girls’ school has approximately 1,000 students and places a strong emphasis on academic excellence and positive attitudes towards learning.
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2: Rumworth School, Bolton
With its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating, Bolton’s Rumworth School takes second place for state secondary schools in Greater Manchester. The Snobe team praise the school’s “dynamic and innovative leadership”, “motivated staff” and “strong focus on equipping pupils with knowledge, skills, and understanding”. Rumworth is on the small side for a state secondary school, with approximately 330 co-educational students, and the school also includes a sixth form.
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3: Oakfield High School and College, Wigan
Taking third place is Oakfield High School and College in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The school was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted at its latest inspection, and provides co-educational secondary and sixth-form education in the Hindley Green area of Wigan. Oakfield is part of The Aspire Federation, and shares its motto ‘Aiming High, Reaching All’. This encapsulates the school’s commitment to the holistic development of every child and young person.
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4: Trinity C of E High School, Manchester
In fourth is Trinity Church of England High School in Hulme in the south of Manchester. The school has an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating and offers secondary education and sixth form. A large establishment with approximately 1,500 co-educational students, the school celebrates diversity and welcomes students of all faiths, while achieving academic excellence.
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5: St Damian’s RC Science College, Ashton-under-Lyne
Occupying fifth place in Greater Manchester is St. Damian’s RC Science College. Located in Ashton-under-Lyne on the easternmost point of Greater Manchester, this comprehensive school boasts an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating and caters for approximately 825 co-educational students.
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6: Mossley Hollins High School, Ashton-under-Lyne
It’s another entry in Ashton-under-Lyne at number six. Mossley Hollins High School is located in Mossley, just a few miles outside Ashton-under-Lyne and within easy reach of the beautiful open spaces of the Peak District National Park. The school caters for approximately 890 co-educational, mixed ability students.
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7: Cheadle Hulme High School, Cheadle Hulme
Seventh-placed Cheadle Hulme High School is a mixed academy offering 11-18 education in the south Manchester suburb of Cheadle Hulme. The outstanding-rated school describes itself as an “outstanding and hugely oversubscribed academy with a reputation for the relentless pursuit of excellence and a determination to ensure that every child succeeds”.
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8: Eden Boys’ School Bolton
It’s back to Bolton for our eighth entry, and Eden Boys’ School. This Muslim faith boys’ school offers GCSE and A-level studies, and received an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating at its latest inspection. Principal Arshad Ashraf describes the school as “a vibrant and dynamic hub of learning and growth”.
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9: Burnage Academy for Boys, Manchester
Burnage Academy for Boys offers state secondary education for just over 1,000 boys in the south of Manchester. The school prides itself on its pupil-focused ethos, saying “our pupils come first and thrive through our values of resilience, independence and care”. The school is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
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10: Golborne High School, Wigan
Taking the final place in our top 10 is Golborne High School. This co-educational state secondary school is located in Golborne between Wigan and Warrington to the west of Manchester. The school is rated ‘outstanding’ and its mission is “to provide opportunities that enable every child to have aspirations, vision and great pride in their achievements”.
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Manchester’s outstanding schools
As our list shows, Manchester is extremely well-off for excellent secondary schools. This is particularly the case if you’re willing to live a few miles outside the city proper. Hopefully, this will provide some food for thought if you’re looking to make a move to Manchester or the Greater Manchester area.
Remember that while these are the 10 best schools in Manchester, there are dozens more high-quality educational institutions to choose from. Look out for further lists in the near future, as we explore the best private schools in Manchester.
Grammar Schools in Manchester
Manchester – the city itself and Greater Manchester – has an outstanding reputation for providing grammar school education to students living in the area. There are 163 grammar schools spread across England, with a cluster of them situated within the Manchester area.
Some of the best grammar schools in Manchester include the Altringham Grammar School for Boys, Altringham Grammar School for Girls, William Hume’s Grammar School, Loreto Grammar School and Saint Ambrose College.
If you would like a closer look at the grammar school system and what it can offer, we have a dedicated guide as part of our ranking list: 10 best grammar schools in the UK and where to live nearby.
If you want to find out more about living in Manchester, click our dedicated area guide below. Here you’ll find all our listed property developments as well as extra detail on the different parts of the city.
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.
