Key Facts
| Measure | Average Attainment 8 score (DfE key stage 4 performance data) |
|---|---|
| Data year | 2024/25 (final) |
| Schools ranked | 6 |
| Highest figure | Heckmondwike Grammar School, 80.2 |
| Area covered | North Yorkshire, Calderdale, Kirklees |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
The best grammar schools in Yorkshire, measured by average Attainment 8 score in the latest DfE key stage 4 performance tables, start with Heckmondwike Grammar School on 80.2, followed by The Crossley Heath School in Halifax on 74.5 and Ripon Grammar School on 70.9. Skipton Girls' High School sits fourth on 69.7.
Six state grammar schools are ranked, all on a single measure: the average Attainment 8 score, which totals each pupil's grades across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths double-weighted, to a maximum of 90. Alongside it, the table shows the percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths, and the DfE's average A level grade where one is published.
Which grammar schools in Yorkshire have the best GCSE results?
| Rank | School | Town | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ in English and maths (%) | A level average grade | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heckmondwike Grammar School | Heckmondwike | 80.2 | 99.5 | B | Co-educational |
| 2 | The Crossley Heath School | Halifax | 74.5 | 98.9 | C+ | Co-educational |
| 3 | Ripon Grammar School | Ripon | 70.9 | 93.7 | B+ | Co-educational |
| 4 | Skipton Girls' High School | Skipton | 69.7 | 89.6 | B- | Girls |
| 5 | The North Halifax Grammar School | Halifax | 68.5 | 91.1 | B | Co-educational |
| 6 | Ermysted's Grammar School | Skipton | 67.3 | 86.7 | B- | Boys |
Figures run from 80.2 at Heckmondwike Grammar School down to 67.3 at Ermysted's Grammar School, so every ranked school sits in the upper range of a 90-point scale. Two schools stand clear of the rest: Heckmondwike (80.2) and The Crossley Heath School (74.5) both sit above Ripon Grammar School on 70.9, and they also post the highest grade 5 rates in English and maths at 99.5 and 98.9 per cent.
Below them the table tightens, with Ripon Grammar School (70.9) and Skipton Girls' High School (69.7) forming the next pair and The North Halifax Grammar School (68.5) and Ermysted's Grammar School (67.3) just beneath. English and maths rates do not always follow the Attainment 8 order, as North Halifax records 91.1 per cent against 89.6 per cent at Skipton Girls' High School despite ranking one place lower.
Co-educational schools make up four of the six. Skipton Girls' High School (fourth, 69.7) is the only girls' school and Ermysted's Grammar School (sixth, 67.3) the only boys' school, both in Skipton. A level grades follow the GCSE order only loosely: Ripon Grammar School has the highest published grade at B+, ahead of Heckmondwike on B, while The Crossley Heath School, second on Attainment 8, shows C+.
Which Yorkshire grammar school has the highest GCSE results?
Heckmondwike Grammar School has the highest average Attainment 8 score of the six ranked, at 80.2, with 99.5 per cent of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths. It is co-educational and its published A level grade is B.
Second place goes to The Crossley Heath School in Halifax on 74.5 and 98.9 per cent, so the two West Yorkshire schools lead on both GCSE measures. Ripon Grammar School follows in third on 70.9, with 93.7 per cent at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
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Enquire about this tutorAre there girls' and boys' grammar schools in Yorkshire?
The ranking includes one girls' school and one boys' school, both in Skipton: Skipton Girls' High School is fourth on 69.7 and Ermysted's Grammar School is sixth on 67.3. Their published A level grades are both B-.
Parents weighing the two will see the girls' school ahead on Attainment 8 and on the English and maths rate, at 89.6 per cent against 86.7 per cent. Both Halifax schools and the other two ranked schools are co-educational.
What do these results show and what do they leave out?
Results show how pupils at each school scored on average at the end of key stage 4, so they describe outcomes and say nothing about how any school admits its pupils. Entry arrangements for The Crossley Heath School, Ripon Grammar School and the others are set by each school, and the figures here do not cover them.
A level grades come from the DfE where published and use a different scale from Attainment 8, so the two sets of figures answer separate questions. Schools close together on the table, such as The North Halifax Grammar School (68.5) and Ermysted's Grammar School (67.3), are likely to be better separated by a visit than by the decimal place.
How the schools are ranked
The ranking covers every state grammar school in North Yorkshire, Calderdale and Kirklees 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
- Heckmondwike Grammar School (ranked 1)
- The Crossley Heath School (ranked 2)
- Ripon Grammar School (ranked 3)
- Skipton Girls' High School (ranked 4)
- The North Halifax Grammar School (ranked 5)
- Ermysted's Grammar School (ranked 6)
Related guides
- Best private schools in Yorkshire
- 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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Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best grammar school in Yorkshire for GCSE results?
- On average Attainment 8 score, Heckmondwike Grammar School ranks first at 80.2, from the latest DfE key stage 4 performance tables. The Crossley Heath School in Halifax is second at 74.5, and Ripon Grammar School is third at 70.9.
- How many Yorkshire grammar schools are ranked?
- Six state grammar schools are ranked, in Heckmondwike, Halifax (two schools), Ripon and Skipton (two schools). All are placed on the same single measure, average Attainment 8 score, from the DfE's key stage 4 performance tables, with the highest score ranked first.
- What is the highest-ranked girls' grammar school in Yorkshire?
- Skipton Girls' High School is the only girls' school in the ranking, placed fourth with an average Attainment 8 score of 69.7. It records 89.6 per cent of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths, and an average A level grade of B-.
- What is the highest-ranked boys' grammar school in Yorkshire?
- Ermysted's Grammar School in Skipton is the only boys' school ranked, in sixth place with an average Attainment 8 score of 67.3. Its grade 5 or above rate in English and maths is 86.7 per cent, and its published average A level grade is B-.
- What does Attainment 8 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. This ranking orders schools by that average, so the highest score, 80.2 at Heckmondwike Grammar School, ranks first.
- Which Yorkshire grammar school has the highest A level grade?
- Ripon Grammar School has the highest published average A level grade in the data, at B+. Heckmondwike Grammar School and The North Halifax Grammar School follow on B, while The Crossley Heath School shows C+ and both Skipton schools show B-.
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