Key Facts
| Measure | Average Attainment 8 score (DfE key stage 4 performance data) |
|---|---|
| Data year | 2024/25 (final) |
| Schools ranked | 7 |
| Highest figure | Colyton Grammar School, 78.8 |
| Area covered | Devon, Plymouth, Torbay |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
On the latest DfE performance tables, the best grammar schools in Devon by average Attainment 8 start with Colyton Grammar School at 78.8, followed by Devonport High School for Girls at 73.8 and Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy at 71.2. Torquay Boys' Grammar School comes next at 70.8, which places it fourth.
Seven schools are ranked, all on one measure: average Attainment 8, which totals each pupil's grades across eight GCSE-level qualifications with English and maths double-weighted, to a maximum of 90. The percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths and the DfE's average A level grade, where published, sit alongside it in the table.
Which grammar schools in Devon have the best GCSE results?
| Rank | School | Town | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ in English and maths (%) | A level average grade | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colyton Grammar School | Colyton | 78.8 | 98.7 | A- | Co-educational |
| 2 | Devonport High School for Girls | Plymouth | 73.8 | 97.6 | B | Girls |
| 3 | Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy | Brixham | 71.2 | 95.9 | B+ | Co-educational |
| 4 | Torquay Boys' Grammar School | Torquay | 70.8 | 93.4 | B- | Boys |
| 5 | Devonport High School for Boys | Plymouth | 69.3 | 94.4 | B- | Boys |
| 6 | Torquay Girls' Grammar School | Torquay | 68.6 | 89.7 | B | Girls |
| 7 | Plymouth High School for Girls | Plymouth | 65.5 | 90.3 | B- | Girls |
Figures run from 78.8 at Colyton Grammar School down to 65.5 at Plymouth High School for Girls, across ranks 1 to 7. Colyton sits alone at the top, Devonport High School for Girls follows at 73.8, and the other five schools fall between 71.2 and 65.5. Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy (71.2) and Torquay Boys' Grammar School (70.8) form a close pair at ranks 3 and 4, with Devonport High School for Boys (69.3) and Torquay Girls' Grammar School (68.6) just behind at ranks 5 and 6.
Co-educational schools hold ranks 1 and 3, girls' schools hold ranks 2, 6 and 7, and boys' schools hold ranks 4 and 5. Each type appears in the upper half of the table, and the girls' schools cover the widest range of figures, from 73.8 to 65.5.
A level grades follow the GCSE order at the top, where Colyton records A-, then diverge. Churston Ferrers is third on Attainment 8 and records B+, the second-highest A level grade in the table. Devonport High School for Girls (rank 2) and Torquay Girls' Grammar School (rank 6) both record B, whilst Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Devonport High School for Boys and Plymouth High School for Girls all record B-. In English and maths at grade 5 or above, Devonport High School for Boys shows 94.4 against 93.4 at Torquay Boys' Grammar School, and Plymouth High School for Girls shows 90.3 against 89.7 at Torquay Girls' Grammar School, so both lower-ranked schools show the higher percentage.
Which grammar school in Devon has the highest Attainment 8 score?
Colyton Grammar School in Colyton has the highest average Attainment 8 score of the seven ranked schools, at 78.8. Its pupils record 98.7 per cent at grade 5 or above in English and maths and an average A level grade of A-.
Devonport High School for Girls in Plymouth is second at 73.8, with 97.6 per cent at grade 5 or above in English and maths and an average A level grade of B. Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy in Brixham is third at 71.2, with 95.9 per cent and a B+ average at A level.
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Enquire about this tutorHow do boys', girls' and co-educational grammar schools compare in Devon?
Devon's two co-educational grammar schools, Colyton Grammar School and Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy, rank first and third, at 78.8 and 71.2.
The two boys' schools, Torquay Boys' Grammar School (70.8) and Devonport High School for Boys (69.3), rank fourth and fifth. The three girls' schools are spread from second to seventh: Devonport High School for Girls at 73.8, Torquay Girls' Grammar School at 68.6 and Plymouth High School for Girls at 65.5.
How do the grammar schools in Plymouth and Torquay compare?
Plymouth has three of the seven ranked schools, at ranks 2, 5 and 7: Devonport High School for Girls (73.8), Devonport High School for Boys (69.3) and Plymouth High School for Girls (65.5).
Torquay has two, with Torquay Boys' Grammar School at rank 4 (70.8) and Torquay Girls' Grammar School at rank 6 (68.6). Colyton and Brixham each have one school in the table, ranked first and third.
What do these grammar school results show, and what do they leave out?
Average Attainment 8 describes the GCSE outcomes of the pupils each school has already admitted, so it reflects the whole cohort and says little about how any one child would fare. The A level grade is the DfE's average and appears only where published.
Families comparing these seven schools usually add each school's own admissions arrangements and travel from home to the figures here, since the table covers results alone.
How the schools are ranked
The ranking covers every state grammar school in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay with a published Attainment 8 score in the Department for Education's key stage 4 performance data, ordered from highest to lowest, with schools on the same figure sharing a rank. Every school in the table selects by ability at eleven, so the figures reflect a selective intake as well as the teaching; Progress 8 was not calculated for this cohort.
The data is the Department for Education's own download from Compare school and college performance, so anyone can reproduce the order from the same file; the data year and source are listed in the key facts above.
Admissions guides for the ranked schools
- Colyton Grammar School (ranked 1)
- Devonport High School for Girls (ranked 2)
- Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy (ranked 3)
- Torquay Boys' Grammar School (ranked 4)
- Devonport High School for Boys (ranked 5)
- Torquay Girls' Grammar School (ranked 6)
- Plymouth High School for Girls (ranked 7)
Related guides
- Best private schools in Devon
- Best grammar schools in the UK by GCSE results
- Grammar schools in England: the full directory
- The 11+ entrance exam explained
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Preparation for the Devon grammar school 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.
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Frequently asked questions
- Which grammar school in Devon has the highest GCSE results?
- Colyton Grammar School in Colyton ranks first, with an average Attainment 8 score of 78.8 out of a maximum of 90. Its pupils record 98.7 per cent at grade 5 or above in English and maths and an average A level grade of A-. Devonport High School for Girls is second at 73.8.
- Which is the highest-ranked girls' grammar school in Devon?
- Devonport High School for Girls in Plymouth ranks second overall, with an average Attainment 8 score of 73.8 and 97.6 per cent at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Torquay Girls' Grammar School follows at 68.6, and Plymouth High School for Girls at 65.5.
- Which is the highest-ranked boys' grammar school in Devon?
- Torquay Boys' Grammar School ranks fourth overall, with an average Attainment 8 score of 70.8 and 93.4 per cent at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Devonport High School for Boys in Plymouth ranks fifth at 69.3, with 94.4 per cent and the same B- average at A level.
- How many grammar schools in Devon are ranked?
- Seven grammar schools are ranked, all on average Attainment 8. Three are in Plymouth, two in Torquay, one in Colyton and one in Brixham. Two are co-educational, two are boys' schools and three are girls' schools.
- What does the Attainment 8 score mean?
- Attainment 8 is the average of each pupil's grades across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths double-weighted, to a maximum of 90. The ranking uses each school's average from the DfE's key stage 4 performance tables, so a higher figure means a higher average point score.
- Which Devon grammar school has the highest A level grade?
- Colyton Grammar School has the highest average A level grade in the table, at A-. Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy is next at B+. Devonport High School for Girls and Torquay Girls' Grammar School both record B, and the remaining three schools record B-.
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