School Chooser

Secondary schools in Wigan

There are 19 secondary schools in Wigan, teaching 19,770 pupils. Of the 19 with a score, 2 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 9 do worse.

Best in EnglandPrimary schools in WiganAll schools in WiganPlaces within
Pupils from low-income families32%average across these schools
Doing better than similar schools2 of 19scored schools in the top two bands
New-style Ofsted report cards5inspected since November 2025
Good or outstanding (old grades)91 requires improvement or inadequate
Full or nearly full9 of 19schools with 98% or more of places taken
Average class size23.4one-teacher classes, January census
Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Getting a place in Wigan

From Wigan council's allocation figures for 2026 entry: 19 secondary schools, 12 of which filled on distance and 7 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. St John Fisher Catholic High School 700 m
  2. Atherton High School 1.0 miles
  3. The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College 1.1 miles
  4. St Peter's Catholic High School 1.1 miles
  5. Outwood Academy Hindley 1.6 miles
  6. St Mary's Catholic High School 1.7 miles
  7. Golborne High School 1.8 miles
  8. Fred Longworth High School 1.9 miles
  9. Hawkley Hall High School 2.3 miles
  10. Shevington High School 2.7 miles
  11. The Byrchall High School 2.9 miles
  12. St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield 4.4 miles

Places to spare

Every applicant was offered a place.

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

Secondary schools (19)

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 Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldRoman Catholic · ages 11-161,20416%Report card 20267669 to 81
2Golborne High SchoolFoundation · ages 11-16 · Warrington1,14425%Outstanding 20236757 to 74
3Shevington High SchoolCouncil · ages 11-1687826%Report card 20266049 to 69
4St Peter's Catholic High SchoolRoman Catholic · ages 11-161,02612%Good 20245949 to 68
5Bedford High SchoolCouncil · ages 11-16 · Leigh1,11140%Good 20234939 to 60
6Standish Community High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-161,27618%Report card 20264232 to 51
7Fred Longworth High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Manchester1,28325%Good 20224132 to 50
8The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form CollegeChurch of England · ages 11-181,36532%Report card 20264031 to 50
9Atherton High SchoolFree school · ages 11-16 · Atherton56147%Good 20243827 to 50
10Outwood Academy HindleyAcademy · ages 11-1690837%No overall grade 20243728 to 47
11Lowton Church of England High SchoolFoundation · ages 11-16 · Warrington81430%Good 20233425 to 45
12St Mary's Catholic High SchoolRoman Catholic · ages 11-18 · Manchester1,53720%Not inspected3325 to 43
13Hawkley Hall High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-161,17027%No overall grade 20243325 to 43
14Cansfield High SchoolCouncil · ages 11-1697429%Good 20243022 to 39
15The Byrchall High SchoolAcademy · ages 11-161,13834%Good 20222821 to 37
16Dean Trust Rose BridgeAcademy · ages 11-1669261%No overall grade 20252317 to 31
17St John Fisher Catholic High SchoolRoman Catholic · ages 11-1699833%Report card 20261713 to 23
18The Westleigh SchoolAcademy · ages 11-16 · Leigh97644%Good 2022107 to 14
19Dean Trust WiganAcademy · ages 11-1671558%Requires improvement 202364 to 9

Secondary schools by town in Wigan

Leigh2 schoolsManchester2 schoolsWarrington2 schoolsWigan12 schools

Secondary schools in nearby areas

Lancashire83 schoolsManchester32 schoolsLiverpool33 schoolsCheshire West and Chester20 schoolsCumberland19 schoolsCheshire East23 schoolsWestmorland and Furness20 schoolsBolton20 schoolsWirral20 schoolsSalford17 schoolsStockport14 schoolsOldham14 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.