Find the best primary schools in Croydon. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Croydon has 87 primary schools, all in Croydon council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 87, 20 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Croydon primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Beulah Infants' School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| Park Hill Junior School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Park Hill Infant School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Rockmount Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Winterbourne Boys' Academy | boys | 4.7 / 5 |
| Beaumont Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Heathfield Academy | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| David Livingstone Academy | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Krishna Avanti Primary School |
There are 87 primary schools in Croydon.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 87 primary schools in Croydon, 20 have a religious character: 11 Roman Catholic, 7 Church of England, 1 Greek Orthodox and 1 Hindu. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
Yes, Croydon has 1 girls' school and 1 boys' school. The other 85 are mixed.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Beulah Infants' School (4.9), Park Hill Junior School (4.8), Park Hill Infant School (4.7), Rockmount Primary School (4.7) and Winterbourne Boys' Academy (4.7). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 87 schools here, 84 have enough published data for a rating.
| Hindu |
| 4.6 / 5 |
| Gonville Academy | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Downsview Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Aidan's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.5 / 5 |
| St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School | Roman Catholic | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Peter's Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| St. Mary's Catholic Junior School | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Chad's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.3 / 5 |
| Winterbourne Junior Girls' School | girls | 4.3 / 5 |
| Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Harris Primary Academy Croydon | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Applegarth Academy | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St John's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Chipstead Valley Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Fairchildes Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Harris Primary Academy Haling Park | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| The Minster Nursery and Infants Church of England Academy | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Oasis Academy Byron | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Oasis Academy Ryelands | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Harris Primary Academy Benson | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Greenvale Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Gresham Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Whitehorse Manor Infant School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Paxton Academy Sports And Science | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Atwood Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Ridgeway Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Monks Orchard Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Woodcote Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Harris Primary Academy Kenley | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| The Hayes Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Ecclesbourne Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Infant School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Castle Hill Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Aerodrome Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| The Minster Junior School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Harris Primary Academy Purley Way | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Smitham Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Tudor Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Broadmead Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| New Valley Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Orchard Way Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Keston Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Forest Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Norbury Manor Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Robert Fitzroy Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Joseph's RC Infant School | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| Forestdale Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| West Thornton Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Cypress Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Elmwood Junior School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Selsdon Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Woodside Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Coulsdon CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Purley Oaks Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| St Joseph's RC Junior School | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| Howard Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| The Crescent Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery School | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| John Wood School & Nursery | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Quest Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| St Mark's Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| South Norwood Primary | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Heavers Farm Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Ark Oval Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Chestnut Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Kenley Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Rowdown Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley) | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Kensington Avenue Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Whitehorse Manor Junior School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Beulah Junior School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary Academy | Greek Orthodox | 2.9 / 5 |
| Courtwood Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| All Saints CofE Primary School | Church of England | 1.5 / 5 |
| Elmwood Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Oasis Academy Shirley Park Primary | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.