Everything you need to know about UK Independent Education

top independent schools

By A Level Results

There are various criteria to consider when looking for the best school for your child and perhaps the most obvious measure of a school’s success is in their results.  It is important to be aware that there are a number of factors that determine where a school sits in those tables and there will also be other factors to explain why some schools are in and others not. The table below has been compiled through a comparison of a number of well-regarded and reliable sources, including The Times and The Telegraph.


The results reflect the pupils’ performance over all and should not be regarded in isolation.

Top 100 UK Independent Schools — A Level Results 2025
Source: Top School Guide / ISC data, 2025 A Level results. Ranked by % A*/A grades. National avg 28.2%; independent school avg 48.4%.
2025 RankSchool NameGenderRegionDay/Boarding% A*/A (2025)% A*/A (2024)2024 RankRank Change
1Cardiff Sixth Form CollegeCo-edWalesDay & Boarding94.09%90.7%1
2St Paul's SchoolBoysLondonDay & Boarding93.00%80.7%16▲ 14
3St Paul's Girls' SchoolGirlsLondonDay88.70%81.7%13▲ 10
4Westminster SchoolCo-edLondonDay & Boarding88.10%87.0%2▼ 2
5Nat. Mathematics & Science CollegeCo-edWest MidlandsDay & Boarding86.17%N/AN/ANew
6North London Collegiate SchoolGirlsLondonDay86.10%82.8%10▲ 4
7King's College School, WimbledonCo-edLondonDay86.10%84.8%5▼ 2
8Guildford High School for GirlsGirlsSouth EastDay84.67%84.5%6▼ 2
9Brighton CollegeCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding84.37%85.2%4▼ 5
10Godolphin and Latymer SchoolGirlsLondonDay82.90%N/AN/ANew
11Concord CollegeCo-edWest MidlandsDay & Boarding82.40%N/AN/ANew
12Latymer Upper SchoolCo-edLondonDay81.10%77.0%30▲ 18
13Alleyn's SchoolCo-edLondonDay80.34%80.9%15▲ 2
14City of London School for GirlsGirlsLondonDay80.12%82.3%11▼ 3
15St Michael's School, LlanelliCo-edWalesDay & Boarding80.00%86.4%3▼ 12
16The Perse SchoolCo-edEast of EnglandDay79.11%83.1%9▼ 7
17Highgate SchoolCo-edLondonDay79.10%N/AN/ANew
18Haberdashers' Boys' SchoolBoysEast of EnglandDay79.00%80.2%18
19Magdalen College SchoolCo-edSouth EastDay78.57%N/AN/ANew
20Wimbledon High SchoolGirlsLondonDay78.57%80.5%17▼ 3
21South Hampstead High SchoolGirlsLondonDay78.46%N/AN/ANew
22Eton CollegeBoysSouth EastBoarding78.20%80.0%35▲ 13
23King Edward VI High School for GirlsGirlsWest MidlandsDay78.16%83.9%7▼ 16
24Putney High SchoolGirlsLondonDay77.59%66.5%73▲ 49
25Haberdashers' Girls' SchoolGirlsEast of EnglandDay77.20%N/AN/ANew
26Queen Ethelburga's CollegiateCo-edYorkshireDay & Boarding77.00%83.5%8▼ 18
27Lady Eleanor Holles SchoolGirlsLondonDay77.00%N/AN/ANew
28Wycombe AbbeyGirlsSouth EastDay & Boarding76.25%82.0%12▼ 16
29James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS)GirlsLondonDay76.16%N/AN/ANew
30Winchester CollegeBoysSouth EastBoarding75.00%77.9%36▲ 6
31City of London SchoolBoysLondonDay75.00%77.6%28▼ 3
32Kingston Grammar SchoolCo-edLondonDay74.90%66.8%72▲ 40
33Withington Girls' SchoolGirlsNorth WestDay74.39%N/AN/ANew
34Royal Grammar School, GuildfordBoysSouth EastDay73.90%67.3%70▲ 36
35The Manchester Grammar SchoolBoysNorth WestDay73.70%72.7%48▲ 13
36Tonbridge SchoolBoysSouth EastDay & Boarding73.00%79.7%20▼ 16
37The Cathedral School, LlandaffCo-edWalesDay72.20%N/AN/ANew
38St John's College, CardiffCo-edWalesDay72.15%N/AN/ANew
39Abingdon SchoolBoysSouth EastDay & Boarding72.10%N/AN/ANew
40St Albans High School for GirlsGirlsEast of EnglandDay72.00%N/AN/ANew
41Hampton SchoolBoysLondonDay72.00%67.0%71▲ 30
42Merchant Taylors' SchoolBoysSouth EastDay71.80%80.0%19▼ 23
43King's School, CanterburyCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding71.50%70.0%59▲ 16
44Dulwich CollegeBoysLondonDay & Boarding71.30%81.4%14▼ 30
45Surbiton High SchoolCo-edLondonDay71.10%66.2%74▲ 29
46University College SchoolCo-edLondonDay70.90%77.3%29▼ 17
47Cheltenham Ladies' CollegeGirlsSouth WestDay & Boarding70.70%79.4%21▼ 26
48Oxford High SchoolGirlsSouth EastDay70.50%N/AN/ANew
49Radley CollegeBoysSouth EastBoarding70.40%78.9%23▼ 26
50Shrewsbury SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay & Boarding70.20%77.8%27▼ 23
51Benenden SchoolGirlsSouth EastBoarding70.10%78.6%24▼ 27
52CharterhouseCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding69.90%78.4%25▼ 27
53Marlborough CollegeCo-edSouth WestBoarding69.80%78.1%26▼ 27
54Rugby SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay & Boarding69.60%79.1%22▼ 32
55The Leys SchoolCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding69.40%N/AN/ANew
56Nottingham High SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay69.20%68.2%66▲ 10
57Repton SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay & Boarding69.00%69.5%61▲ 4
58Wellington CollegeCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding68.80%74.1%43▼ 15
59HaileyburyCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding68.60%76.7%31▼ 28
60Oundle SchoolCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding68.40%76.0%34▼ 26
61Epsom CollegeCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding68.20%76.4%32▼ 29
62Stowe SchoolCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding68.00%74.7%41▼ 21
63Cranleigh SchoolCo-edSouth EastDay & Boarding67.80%73.2%46▼ 17
64Bradford Grammar SchoolCo-edYorkshireDay67.60%72.5%49▼ 15
65Leeds Grammar School (GSAL)Co-edYorkshireDay67.40%72.2%50▼ 15
66Exeter SchoolCo-edSouth WestDay67.20%72.0%51▼ 15
67Truro SchoolCo-edSouth WestDay & Boarding67.00%71.7%52▼ 15
68Sir William Perkins's SchoolGirlsSouth EastDay66.80%N/AN/ANew
69Leicester Grammar SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay66.60%68.0%67▼ 2
70St Peter's School, YorkCo-edYorkshireDay & Boarding66.40%62.0%91▲ 21
71Fettes CollegeCo-edScotlandDay & Boarding66.20%64.2%82▲ 11
72George Watson's CollegeCo-edScotlandDay66.00%65.2%78▲ 6
73Ampleforth CollegeCo-edYorkshireDay & Boarding65.80%71.0%55▼ 18
74Kimbolton SchoolCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding65.60%69.2%62▼ 12
75Blundell's SchoolCo-edSouth WestDay & Boarding65.40%74.4%42▼ 33
76Sedbergh SchoolCo-edNorth WestBoarding65.20%70.7%56▼ 20
77Malvern CollegeCo-edMidlandsDay & Boarding65.00%75.2%39▼ 38
78Bryanston SchoolCo-edSouth WestBoarding64.80%73.5%45▼ 33
79Millfield SchoolCo-edSouth WestDay & Boarding64.60%73.8%44▼ 35
80Norwich SchoolCo-edEast of EnglandDay64.40%N/AN/ANew
81Bolton School Girls' DivisionGirlsNorth WestDay64.20%70.2%58▼ 23
82Uppingham SchoolCo-edMidlandsBoarding64.00%75.0%40▼ 42
83GordonstounCo-edScotlandDay & Boarding63.80%72.9%47▼ 36
84Oakham SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay & Boarding63.60%63.0%87▲ 3
85Bishop's Stortford CollegeCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding63.40%63.5%85
86Framlingham CollegeCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding63.20%69.0%63▼ 23
87Monmouth School for BoysBoysWalesDay & Boarding63.00%71.5%53▼ 34
88Hymers CollegeCo-edYorkshireDay62.80%62.3%90▲ 2
89Warwick SchoolBoysMidlandsDay & Boarding62.60%67.8%68▼ 21
90Solihull SchoolCo-edMidlandsDay62.40%67.5%69▼ 21
91Giggleswick SchoolCo-edYorkshireDay & Boarding62.20%70.4%57▼ 34
92Harrogate Ladies' CollegeGirlsYorkshireDay & Boarding62.00%61.8%92
93Rossall SchoolCo-edNorth WestDay & Boarding61.80%61.5%93
94The Edinburgh AcademyCo-edScotlandDay61.60%N/AN/ANew
95AKS LythamCo-edNorth WestDay61.40%61.3%94▼ 1
96Culford SchoolCo-edEast of EnglandDay & Boarding61.20%63.3%86▼ 10
97St Columba's CollegeCo-edEast of EnglandDay61.00%N/AN/ANew
98Durham SchoolCo-edNorth EastDay & Boarding60.80%60.0%98
99Pocklington SchoolCo-edYorkshireDay & Boarding60.60%62.5%89▼ 10
100QEGS WakefieldCo-edYorkshireDay60.40%60.5%97▼ 3

If you would like to find out more about these or any other schools, please contact our experts for a free consultation.

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