Secondary schools in Colchester

There are 14 secondary schools in Colchester (Essex), teaching 15,576 pupils. Of the 14 with a score, 4 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 2 do worse.

Best in England Primary schools in Colchester All schools in Colchester

Pupils from low-income families20%average across these schools

Doing better than similar schools4 of 14scored schools in the top two bands

New-style Ofsted report cards1inspected since November 2025

Good or outstanding (old grades)9of those still on old grades

Full or nearly full9 of 14places are under pressure here

Average class size24.8one-teacher classes, January census

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Secondary schools (14)

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	Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolAcademy (grammar) · ages 11-18	1,073	5%	Report card 2026	100	99 to 100
2	Colchester County High School for GirlsAcademy (grammar) · ages 11-18	1,198	3%	Outstanding 2023	99	97 to 100
3	The Gilberd SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,588	15%	Not inspected	81	76 to 85
4	St Benedict's Catholic CollegeRoman Catholic · ages 11-16	905	9%	Good 2023	76	69 to 82
5	The Stanway SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,396	16%	Good 2023	63	53 to 71
6	The Thomas Lord Audley SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	940	30%	Not inspected	57	47 to 67
7	Philip Morant School and CollegeAcademy · ages 11-18	1,888	25%	Good 2023	48	38 to 58
8	Honywood SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	849	17%	Good 2022	45	35 to 56
9	St Helena SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	986	34%	Good 2024	43	32 to 53
10	Colne Community SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	1,289	22%	Good 2023	42	32 to 51
11	The Trinity SchoolFree school · ages 11-16	780	16%	No overall grade 2025	39	21 to 60
12	Thurstable SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16	932	19%	No overall grade 2025	38	28 to 48
13	Paxman AcademyFree school · ages 11-16	873	33%	Good 2024	27	19 to 36
14	Colchester AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	879	42%	Good 2023	14	10 to 19

Secondary schools in nearby areas

Chelmsford11 schools Harlow7 schools Basildon5 schools Brentwood5 schools Braintree3 schools Clacton-on-Sea1 schools Benfleet3 schools Halstead2 schools Saffron Walden2 schools Witham2 schools Loughton3 schools Wickford2 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.