School Chooser

Secondary schools in County Durham

There are 32 secondary schools in County Durham, teaching 28,154 pupils. Of the 30 with a score, 7 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 10 do worse.

Best in EnglandPrimary schools in County DurhamAll schools in County DurhamPlaces within
Pupils from low-income families37%average across these schools
Doing better than similar schools7 of 30scored schools in the top two bands
New-style Ofsted report cards3inspected since November 2025
Good or outstanding (old grades)181 requires improvement or inadequate
Full or nearly full9 of 30schools with 98% or more of places taken
Average class size22.1one-teacher classes, January census
Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Getting a place in County Durham

From County Durham council's allocation figures for 2026 entry: 30 secondary schools, 9 of which filled on distance and 21 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.

  1. Tanfield School 0.8 miles
  2. Woodham Academy 2.0 miles
  3. Durham Johnston Comprehensive School 2.4 miles
  4. Park View School 3.3 miles
  5. Belmont Community School 3.8 miles
  6. Whitworth Park Academy 5.3 miles
  7. King James I Academy Bishop Auckland 5.5 miles
  8. Wolsingham School 6.7 miles
  9. Sedgefield Community College 6.9 miles

Places to spare

Every applicant was offered a place.

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

Secondary schools (32)

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.

#SchoolPupilsLow incomeOfstedScoreLikely range
1St Leonard's Catholic School, DurhamAcademy · ages 11-18 · Durham1,29315%No overall grade 20249288 to 94
2Tanfield SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Stanley73932%No overall grade 20248884 to 92
3The Academy at Shotton HallAcademy · ages 11-16 · Peterlee1,20235%Outstanding 20248884 to 92
4Sedgefield Community CollegeAcademy · ages 11-16 · Stockton-on-Tees98225%Outstanding 20228176 to 85
5Durham Johnston Comprehensive SchoolCouncil · ages 11-18 · Durham1,66716%No overall grade 20257974 to 84
6Belmont Community SchoolCouncil · ages 11-16 · Durham88735%Good 20247162 to 78
7Teesdale School and Sixth FormAcademy · ages 11-18 · Barnard Castle68417%Not inspected6656 to 75
8Hermitage AcademyAcademy · ages 11-18 · Chester le Street88131%Good 20246251 to 70
9Easington AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Peterlee76939%No overall grade 20256251 to 71
10Woodham AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Newton Aycliffe1,07138%Good 20236150 to 70
11St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form CollegeAcademy · ages 11-18 · Bishop Auckland1,22930%Good 20245747 to 66
12Whitworth Park AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Spennymoor99638%Good 20225645 to 66
13Wellfield SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Wingate86244%Not inspected5243 to 61
14Park View SchoolAcademy · ages 11-18 · Chester le Street1,63126%No overall grade 20254738 to 58
15Dene AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Peterlee63863%Good 20234736 to 59
16St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, LanchesterAcademy · ages 11-18 · Durham1,24022%Report card 20264636 to 56
17Consett AcademyAcademy · ages 11-18 · Consett1,49334%Good 20234636 to 56
18Parkside AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Crook83344%Good 20234534 to 55
19Staindrop AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Darlington50431%Good 20213625 to 49
20Seaham High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Seaham1,09542%Good 20233527 to 46
21King James I Academy Bishop AucklandAcademy · ages 11-18 · Bishop Auckland93651%Report card 20263223 to 42
22Wolsingham SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Bishop Auckland77431%Good 20233123 to 42
23St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form CollegeAcademy · ages 11-18 · Peterlee89139%Good 20232820 to 38
24Framwellgate School DurhamAcademy · ages 11-18 · Durham1,20426%No overall grade 20242820 to 36
25Bishop Barrington AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Bishop Auckland59952%Good 20242418 to 33
26Durham AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Durham40559%Report card 20262417 to 35
27UTC South DurhamUniversity technical college · ages 14-19 · Newton Aycliffe42137%Good 20242015 to 28
28North Durham AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Stanley93551%Good 20221914 to 24
29Ferryhill SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Ferryhill72750%Good 20221712 to 23
30Greenfield AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16 · Newton Aycliffe56662%Requires improvement 201975 to 10
Aycliffe Secure CentreSecure units · ages 10-17 · Ferryhill––Not inspected–
Hassockfield Secure Training CentreSecure units · ages 12-15 · Consett––Not inspected–

Secondary schools by town in County Durham

Barnard Castle1 schoolsBishop Auckland4 schoolsChester le Street2 schoolsConsett2 schoolsCrook1 schoolsDarlington1 schoolsDurham6 schoolsFerryhill2 schoolsNewton Aycliffe3 schoolsPeterlee4 schoolsSeaham1 schoolsSpennymoor1 schoolsStanley2 schoolsStockton-on-Tees1 schoolsWingate1 schools

Secondary schools in nearby areas

Northumberland28 schoolsSunderland18 schoolsNewcastle upon Tyne17 schoolsGateshead9 schoolsStockton-on-Tees13 schoolsNorth Tyneside16 schoolsMiddlesbrough8 schoolsRedcar and Cleveland10 schoolsSouth Tyneside8 schoolsDarlington8 schoolsHartlepool5 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.