Find the best secondary schools in Cornwall. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas, GCSE results and Progress 8.
Cornwall has 31 secondary schools, all in Cornwall 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.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Cornwall secondary 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Penrice Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Poltair School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Richard Lander School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Humphry Davy School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Mullion School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Mounts Bay Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Callington Community College | sixth form | 3.6 / 5 |
| The Roseland Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Redruth School |
There are 31 secondary schools in Cornwall.
Apply by 31 October in your child's Year 6, for a place starting the following September. 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 1 March, or the next working day.
No. None of the 31 secondary schools in Cornwall selects pupils by ability.
Of the 31 secondary schools in Cornwall, 12 have a sixth form. Students at a school that stops at 16 apply separately for sixth form, either at another school or at a college.
None of the 31 secondary schools in Cornwall has a religious character, so none gives priority on grounds of faith.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Penrice Academy (3.7), Poltair School (3.7), Richard Lander School (3.7), Humphry Davy School (3.6) and Mullion School (3.6). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and GCSE results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 31 schools here have a rating.
| Mixed |
| 3.5 / 5 |
| Budehaven Community School | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 |
| Cape Cornwall School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Treviglas Academy | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 |
| Helston Community College | sixth form | 3.4 / 5 |
| Wadebridge School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Camborne Science and International Academy | sixth form | 3.4 / 5 |
| Penair School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Falmouth School | sixth form | 3.3 / 5 |
| Torpoint Community College | sixth form | 3.3 / 5 |
| Hayle Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Liskeard School and Community College | sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Newquay Tretherras | sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Launceston College | sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Saltash Community School | sixth form | 3.0 / 5 |
| Fowey River Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Bodmin College | sixth form | 2.9 / 5 |
| Penryn College | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Sir James Smith's School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| St Ives School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Looe Community Academy | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Pool Academy | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Brannel School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
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.