10 best schools in Manchester and where to live nearby

For families with school-age children, the availability of good schools is always a top consideration when choosing where to live. That’s why we’ve drawn together a list of the best schools in Manchester itself and the Greater Manchester area. This will give you a great idea of where to find the educational clusters of excellence if you’re planning to move here.

Manchester’s best schools are nationally competitive. This is due to a combination of its grammar school history, rising investment and high demand attracting outstanding teachers. The ongoing property development boom affecting Manchester and many of its surrounding towns means that the area is becoming a hotspot for young families moving here.

The following list of the 10 best schools in Manchester comes from the website Snobe.co.uk. The site provides extensive data and rankings to help parents find the best schools for their children. For our rankings below we’ve listed state secondary schools (academies and maintained schools) that offer mixed-ability or selective admission. We haven’t included special schools in our list.

10 Best schools in Manchester – Secondary State Level

1: Rumworth School, Bolton

With its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating, Bolton’s Rumworth School takes the top spot for state secondary schools in Greater Manchester. The Snobe team praise the school’s “dynamic and innovative leadership”, “motivated staff” and “strong focus on equipping pupils with knowledge, skills, and understanding”. Rumworth is on the small side for a state secondary school, with approximately 330 co-educational students, and the school also includes a sixth form.

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2: Levenshulme High School, Manchester

Second-placed Levenshulme High School is an outstanding-rated secondary school, located in the southeast Manchester suburb of Levenshulme. This girls’ school has approximately 1,000 students and places a strong emphasis on academic excellence and positive attitudes towards learning.

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3: Trinity C of E High School, Manchester

Taking third place is Trinity Church of England High School in Hulme in the south of Manchester. The school has an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating and offers secondary education and sixth form. A large establishment with approximately 1,500 co-educational students, the school celebrates diversity and welcomes students of all faiths, while achieving academic excellence.

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4: St Damian’s RC Science College, Ashton-under-Lyne

Occupying fourth place in Greater Manchester is St. Damian’s RC Science College. Located in Ashton-under-Lyne on the easternmost point of Greater Manchester, this comprehensive school boasts an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating and caters for approximately 825 co-educational students.

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5: Mossley Hollins High School, Ashton-under-Lyne

It’s another entry in Ashton-under-Lyne at number five. Mossley Hollins High School is located in Mossley, just a few miles outside Ashton-under-Lyne and within easy reach of the beautiful open spaces of the Peak District National Park. The school caters for approximately 890 co-educational, mixed ability students.

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6: Cheadle Hulme High School, Cheadle Hulme

Sixth-placed Cheadle Hulme High School is a mixed academy offering 11-18 education in the south Manchester suburb of Cheadle Hulme. The outstanding-rated school describes itself as an “outstanding and hugely oversubscribed academy with a reputation for the relentless pursuit of excellence and a determination to ensure that every child succeeds”.

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7: Eden Boys’ School Bolton

It’s back to Bolton for our seventh entry, and Eden Boys’ School. This Muslim faith boys’ school offers GCSE and A-level studies, and received an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating at its latest inspection. Principal Arshad Ashraf describes the school as “a vibrant and dynamic hub of learning and growth”.

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8: Burnage Academy for Boys, Manchester

Burnage Academy for Boys offers state secondary education for just over 1,000 boys in the south of Manchester. The school prides itself on its pupil-focused ethos, saying “our pupils come first and thrive through our values of resilience, independence and care”. The school is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

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9: Golborne High School, Wigan

Taking ninth place is Golborne High School. This co-educational state secondary school is located in Golborne between Wigan and Warrington to the west of Manchester. The school is rated ‘outstanding’ and its mission is “to provide opportunities that enable every child to have aspirations, vision and great pride in their achievements”.

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10: The Blue Coat CofE School, Oldham

The final spot in our top 10 state secondary schools for Greater Manchester is The Blue Coat CofE School in Oldham. Rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, the school caters for more than 1,500 co-educational students, with a mission “to ensure that they become everything they can be and everything they are meant to be”.

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Manchester’s outstanding schools

As our list shows, Manchester is extremely well-off for excellent secondary schools. This is particularly the case if you’re willing to live a few miles outside of the city proper. Hopefully, this will provide some food for thought if you’re looking to make a move to Manchester or the Greater Manchester area.

Remember that while these are the 10 best schools in Manchester, there are dozens more high-quality educational institutions to choose from. Look out for further lists in the near future, as we explore the best private schools in Manchester.

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If you want to find out more about living in Manchester, click our dedicated area guide below. Here you’ll find all our listed property developments as well as extra detail on the different parts of the city.

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