Key Facts
| Measure | Average point score per A level entry (DfE 16 to 18 performance data) |
|---|---|
| Data year | 2024/25 (final) |
| Schools ranked | 13 |
| Highest figure | The Perse School, 51.40 (A) |
| Area covered | Cambridgeshire, Peterborough |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
Among the best private schools in Cambridgeshire when judged on A level results, The Perse School has the highest average point score per entry at 51.40, followed by Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge on 48.93, The Leys School on 46.65 and The Stephen Perse Foundation on 45.28.
Thirteen schools are ranked, all on one measure: the average point score per A level entry in the latest DfE performance tables, where an A* scores 60, an A 50, a B 40 and a C 30. The table below also shows the DfE's grade equivalent, the number of A level students, and whether each school is co-educational or girls' and day or day and boarding.
Which private schools in Cambridgeshire have the best A level results?
| Rank | School | Town | A level average point score | Average grade | A level students | Pupils | Day or boarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Perse School | Cambridgeshire | 51.40 | A | 185 | Co-educational | Day |
| 2 | Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge | Cambridgeshire | 48.93 | A | 53 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 3 | The Leys School | Cambridge | 46.65 | A- | 99 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 4 | The Stephen Perse Foundation | Cambridgeshire | 45.28 | A- | 126 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 5 | Abbey College Cambridge | Cambridgeshire | 44.59 | B+ | 100 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 6 | St Mary's School | cambridge | 43.11 | B+ | 44 | Girls | Day and boarding |
| 7 | King's Ely | Ely | 42.75 | B+ | 119 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 8 | Kimbolton School | Huntingdon | 40.56 | B | 121 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 9 | Mander Portman Woodward | Cambridge | 38.13 | B- | 74 | Co-educational | Day |
| 10 | Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA) | Cambridge | 37.97 | B- | 42 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 11 | Wisbech Grammar School | Cambridgeshire | 36.46 | B- | 50 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 12 | The Peterborough School | Peterborough | 35.25 | B- | 26 | Co-educational | Day |
| 13 | St. Andrew's College Cambridge | Cambridge | 31.54 | C | 43 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
The figures run from 51.40 at The Perse School (grade A) down to 31.54 at St. Andrew's College Cambridge (grade C). The Perse School and Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge hold an A, then The Leys School (46.65) and The Stephen Perse Foundation (45.28) hold an A-. Abbey College Cambridge (44.59), St Mary's School (43.11) and King's Ely (42.75) all hold B+, Kimbolton School sits alone on B at 40.56, and Mander Portman Woodward, Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA), Wisbech Grammar School and The Peterborough School share B-.
Several schools sit close together. The Leys School, The Stephen Perse Foundation and Abbey College Cambridge occupy ranks 3 to 5 on 46.65, 45.28 and 44.59, so their order could change with a different cohort. St Mary's School (43.11) and King's Ely (42.75) are a similar pair, as are Mander Portman Woodward (38.13) and Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA) on 37.97. Wisbech Grammar School (36.46) and The Peterborough School (35.25) follow, and a clear step down separates Kimbolton School on 40.56 from the B- group beneath it.
St Mary's School is the only girls' school in the table, ranked 6th, and no boys' school appears; every other school listed is co-educational. The Perse School, Mander Portman Woodward and The Peterborough School are day schools, whilst the rest take boarders as well as day pupils. Cohort sizes differ sharply, from 185 A level students at The Perse School and 126 at The Stephen Perse Foundation to 44 at St Mary's School and 26 at The Peterborough School, and an average built on a small cohort tends to move more from year to year.
Entry points and fees at the ranked Cambridgeshire schools
Fees and entry points vary widely across the ranking, so the table below sets them side by side for the schools with an admissions guide on this site; each figure comes from the school's own website and carries the academic year it applies to.
| School | Entry points | Day fees per term | Fees year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Perse School | £9,482 (incl. VAT) | 2026/27 | |
| The Leys School | 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9), 16+ (Sixth Form) | £8,547 | 2026/27 |
| The Stephen Perse Foundation | £9,145 | 2026/27 | |
| St Mary's School | 7+, 11+, 12+, 13+, 14+, 16+ | £8,815 | From September 2026 |
| Kimbolton School | £8,680 (incl. VAT) | 2026/27 | |
| The Peterborough School | 7+, 8+, 11+, 13+, 16+ | £8,499 (incl. VAT) | 2026/27 |
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Enquire about this tutorWhich is the top girls' private school in Cambridgeshire for A levels?
St Mary's School is the only girls' school in the ranking, placed 6th with an average point score of 43.11 per entry, a B+ grade, from 44 A level students. It takes day and boarding pupils.
Girls looking for the highest figure in the county would also consider the co-educational schools above it, such as The Perse School (51.40), Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge (48.93), The Leys School (46.65) and The Stephen Perse Foundation (45.28), all of which admit girls and boys.
Which Cambridgeshire private schools take boarders?
Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge is the highest-ranked school offering day and boarding places, in 2nd place on 48.93.
The Leys School (46.65), The Stephen Perse Foundation (45.28), Abbey College Cambridge (44.59), St Mary's School (43.11), King's Ely (42.75) and Kimbolton School (40.56) follow in that order, with Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA), Wisbech Grammar School and St. Andrew's College Cambridge further down. The Perse School, Mander Portman Woodward and The Peterborough School are listed as day schools only.
What does the Cambridgeshire A level ranking leave out?
The ranking covers A level entries only, so a school that teaches the International Baccalaureate in its sixth form and enters few or no pupils for A levels does not appear, and its absence says nothing about its results. Parents considering an IB school in or near Cambridge need to ask that school for its own IB outcomes.
The average point score also says nothing about how selective a school is at entry, how many pupils join the sixth form from elsewhere, or which subjects are taken. Cohort size matters too: The Peterborough School's 35.25 comes from 26 students, and Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA) has 42, so a few entries can shift the average more than they would at The Perse School with 185.
How the schools are ranked
The ranking covers every independent school in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough with a published average point score per A level entry in the Department for Education's 16 to 18 performance data, ordered from highest to lowest, with schools on the same figure sharing a rank. The figure counts A level entries only and is not adjusted for pupils' attainment on entry, and many of these schools select by entrance assessment.
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
- The Perse School (ranked 1)
- The Leys School (ranked 3)
- The Stephen Perse Foundation (ranked 4)
- St Mary's School (ranked 6)
- King's Ely (ranked 7)
- Kimbolton School (ranked 8)
- Wisbech Grammar School (ranked 11)
- The Peterborough School (ranked 12)
Related guides
- Best private schools in the UK and London by A level results
- Independent school fees compared
- What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained
- 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
- Boarding schools in the UK
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Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best private school in Cambridgeshire for A level results?
- The Perse School has the highest average point score per A level entry at 51.40, a grade A, from 185 A level students. Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge is second on 48.93 and The Leys School third on 46.65, based on the latest DfE performance tables.
- Which is the top girls' private school in Cambridgeshire?
- St Mary's School is the only girls' school in the ranking. It sits 6th with an average point score of 43.11 per A level entry, a B+ grade, from 44 A level students, and it offers day and boarding places.
- How many private schools are in the Cambridgeshire A level ranking?
- Thirteen schools are ranked, from The Perse School at 51.40 to St. Andrew's College Cambridge at 31.54. Only schools with A level entries in the latest DfE performance tables are included, so schools teaching the IB with few or no A level entries are not shown.
- What does average point score per A level entry mean?
- Each A level grade earns points: A* is 60, A is 50, B is 40 and C is 30. The score is the average across all of a school's A level entries, and the DfE also expresses it as a fine grade, such as A- for The Leys School at 46.65.
- Which Cambridgeshire private schools with boarding have the highest A level scores?
- Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge leads the day and boarding schools on 48.93, followed by The Leys School on 46.65 and The Stephen Perse Foundation on 45.28. Abbey College Cambridge is next on 44.59. The Perse School, ranked first, is listed as a day school.
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