Secondary schools in Bolton

There are 20 secondary schools in Bolton, teaching 22,379 pupils. Of the 20 with a score, 8 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 6 do worse.

Best in England Primary schools in Bolton All schools in Bolton Places within

Pupils from low-income families34%average across these schools

Doing better than similar schools8 of 20scored schools in the top two bands

New-style Ofsted report cards4inspected since November 2025

Good or outstanding (old grades)81 requires improvement or inadequate

Full or nearly full11 of 20places are under pressure here

Average class size23.8one-teacher classes, January census

Free breakfast clubs1schools on the government programme

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Getting a place in Bolton

From Bolton council's allocation figures for 2026 entry: 15 secondary schools, 9 of which filled on distance and 4 offered a place to everyone who applied. Every school's page has a postcode check.

Hardest to get into

The last place went to a child living this far away. The shorter the distance, the harder it is to get in.

Essa Academy 0.8 miles
Thornleigh Salesian College 0.9 miles
Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy 0.9 miles
Bolton Muslim Girls School 1.1 miles
Sharples School 1.1 miles
Canon Slade School 1.5 miles
Ladybridge High School 1.7 miles
St Joseph's RC High School 2.7 miles
Rivington and Blackrod High School 4.1 miles

Places to spare

Every applicant was offered a place.

Source: Bolton council (allocation statistics). Councils we hold this for.

Secondary schools (20)

Ranked by score, highest first. The likely range shows how sure we can be. If two schools' ranges overlap, don't read it as one beating the other. Click a column heading to sort, or hover a row to find it on the map.

#	School	Pupils	Low income	Ofsted	Score	Likely range
1	Sharples SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,214	28%	Not inspected	92	89 to 94
2	Eden Boys' School, BoltonFree school · ages 11-18	621	34%	Outstanding 2023	89	84 to 92
3	Bolton Muslim Girls SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	774	42%	No overall grade 2025	86	81 to 90
4	Essa AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	1,055	49%	Report card 2026	83	79 to 87
5	Canon Slade SchoolAcademy · ages 11-18	1,724	16%	No overall grade 2024	76	69 to 81
6	Kearsley AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	768	43%	Good 2022	74	65 to 80
7	St James's Church of England High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,053	20%	Good 2022	70	62 to 77
8	Rivington and Blackrod High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-18	1,626	26%	Good 2023	67	58 to 74
9	St Joseph's RC High SchoolRoman Catholic · ages 11-16	1,047	22%	No overall grade 2025	48	38 to 59
10	Little Lever SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,085	30%	Report card 2026	45	34 to 55
11	Ladybridge High SchoolCouncil · ages 11-16	1,136	38%	Good 2022	39	29 to 49
12	King's Leadership Academy BoltonFree school · ages 11-16	910	35%	Good 2023	38	28 to 49
13	Harper Green SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,070	45%	Good 2023	36	27 to 46
14	Turton SchoolCouncil · ages 11-18	1,596	23%	Good 2024	35	27 to 45
15	Thornleigh Salesian CollegeRoman Catholic · ages 11-18	1,574	29%	No overall grade 2024	25	19 to 33
16	University Collegiate SchoolUniversity technical college · ages 11-19	683	47%	No overall grade 2024	20	12 to 33
17	Smithills SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,203	42%	Report card 2026	11	8 to 16
18	Bolton St Catherine's AcademyAcademy · ages 2-16	1,003	53%	No overall grade 2025	10	7 to 15
19	Westhoughton High SchoolCouncil · ages 11-16	1,342	23%	Report card 2026	6	4 to 8
20	Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	895	37%	Requires improvement 2023	2	1 to 5

Secondary schools by town in Bolton

Bolton20 schools

Secondary schools in nearby areas

Lancashire83 schools Manchester32 schools Liverpool33 schools Cheshire West and Chester20 schools Cumberland19 schools Cheshire East23 schools Westmorland and Furness20 schools Wigan19 schools Wirral20 schools Salford17 schools Stockport14 schools Oldham14 schools

About this list

Schools are listed by their School Chooser Score, highest first. Schools without a score (independent schools and those with too little published data) come after, in alphabetical order. The score compares each school with schools that have a similar mix of pupils, not just with each other, so a school with a lower score in a wealthier area may still have better exam results. How the score works.