Schools in Dorset
Dorset has 130 primary schools and 29 secondary schools, plus 36 special, nursery, sixth-form or other schools. Pick the age group you want: each list is ranked, shown on a map and compared with schools that have a similar mix of pupils elsewhere in England.
Primary schoolsAges 4 to 11
13026 of 125 scored schools do better than similar schools elsewhere in England.
- St Ives Primary & Nursery School99
- Rushcombe First School95
- Cheselbourne Village School91
Secondary schoolsAges 11 to 16 or 18
297 of 28 scored schools do better than similar schools elsewhere in England.
- Lockyer's Middle School84
- St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill76
- The Purbeck School75
Map of schools in Dorset
Every school in the area. Use the filter to show one age group.
Special, nursery, sixth-form and other schools (36)
Click a column heading to sort, or hover a row to find it on the map.
| School | Type | Ages | Pupils | Low income | Ofsted | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbour House School | Special school | 6-18 | 39 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Aurora Beeches SchoolWimborne | Special school | 11-16 | 48 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Aurora Boveridge CollegeWimborne | Special school | 16-25 | – | – | Not inspected | – |
| Beaucroft Foundation SchoolWimborne | Special school | 4-19 | 241 | 33% | Good 2023 | – |
| Bryanston SchoolBlandford Forum | Independent school | 3-18 | 776 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Castle Court School | Independent school | 2-13 | 227 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Clayesmore SchoolBlandford Forum | Independent school | 2-19 | 414 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Coastland CollegeWeymouth | College | 16-99 | – | – | Not inspected | – |
| Dorchester Learning CentreDorchester | Pupil referral unit / alternative provision | 5-18 | 54 | 70% | Good 2022 | – |
| Dumpton SchoolWimborne | Independent school | 2-13 | 338 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Employ My Ability (EMA) LtdDorchester | Special school | 16-25 | – | – | Not inspected | – |
| Graduately Developing Futures | Special school | 6-14 | 23 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Hanford SchoolBlandford Forum | Independent school | 7-13 | 69 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Harbour School Dorset | Special school | 10-19 | 145 | 53% | Good 2023 | – |
| Harbour Vale SchoolSherborne | Pupil referral unit / alternative provision | 5-16 | 23 | 70% | Good 2024 | – |
| Kingfisher SchoolWeymouth | Special school | 6-16 | 21 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Leweston SchoolSherborne | Independent school | 2-19 | 577 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Millie CollegeHolton Heath | Special school | 16-25 | – | – | Not inspected | – |
| Milton Abbey SchoolBlandford Forum | Independent school | 13-19 | 190 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Mountjoy SchoolBeaminster | Special school | 4-19 | 112 | 40% | Good 2022 | – |
| Port Regis Preparatory SchoolShaftesbury | Independent school | 2-13 | 305 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Ringwood Waldorf SchoolRingwood | Independent school | 2-19 | 248 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Sheiling CollegeRingwood, Hants | Special school | 19-24 | – | – | Not inspected | – |
| Sheiling SchoolRingwood | Special school | 5-19 | 43 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Sherborne Preparatory SchoolSherborne | Independent school | 3-14 | 204 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Sherborne SchoolSherborne | Independent school | 13-19 | 538 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Sherborne School for GirlsSherborne | Independent school | 11-19 | 456 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Sunninghill Preparatory SchoolDorchester | Independent school | 0-13 | 167 | – | Not inspected | – |
| The CompassWeymouth | Pupil referral unit / alternative provision | 5-16 | 46 | 59% | Not inspected | – |
| The Forum CentreBlandford Forum | Pupil referral unit / alternative provision | 5-16 | 19 | 63% | Not inspected | – |
| The Forum SchoolBlandford Forum | Special school | 7-19 | 31 | – | Not inspected | – |
| The Luccombe HubBlandford Forum | Special school | 8-18 | 26 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Westfield Arts CollegeWeymouth | Special school | 4-19 | 233 | 52% | Outstanding 2023 | – |
| Wyvern AcademyWeymouth | Special school | 2-19 | 95 | 48% | Not inspected | – |
| Yarrells Preparatory SchoolPoole | Independent school | 0-11 | 238 | – | Not inspected | – |
| Yewstock SchoolSturminster Newton | Special school | 2-19 | 167 | 47% | Outstanding 2023 | – |
Towns in Dorset
Beaminster5 schoolsBlandford Forum18 schoolsBridport11 schoolsDorchester24 schoolsFerndown7 schoolsGillingham7 schoolsPoole5 schoolsRingwood3 schoolsShaftesbury6 schoolsSherborne13 schoolsSturminster Newton6 schoolsSwanage5 schoolsVerwood4 schoolsWareham10 schoolsWeymouth22 schoolsWimborne23 schools
Nearby areas
Devon426 schoolsGloucestershire338 schoolsSomerset307 schoolsCornwall299 schoolsWiltshire265 schoolsBristol, City of174 schoolsSouth Gloucestershire126 schoolsBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole117 schoolsPlymouth107 schoolsBath and North East Somerset94 schoolsSwindon92 schoolsNorth Somerset85 schools
About this list
Primary and secondary schools have separate pages because they are measured on different things (SATs for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries) and compared with different sets of similar schools. Special schools, nurseries and sixth-form colleges don't fit either list, so they are listed here. How the score works.