Key Facts
| Measure | Average point score per A level entry (DfE 16 to 18 performance data) |
|---|---|
| Data year | 2024/25 (final) |
| Schools ranked | 10 |
| Highest figure | Canford School, 45.77 (A-) |
| Area covered | Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
For the best private schools in Dorset ranked by A level results, Canford School in Wimborne has the highest average point score per A level entry at 45.77 (grade A-), followed by Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth at 39.60 (B), Sherborne School for Girls at 38.79 (B) and Bryanston School in Blandford Forum at 38.49 (B). The scores come from the latest DfE sixth form performance tables, where A* is worth 60 points, A 50, B 40 and C 30.
Ten Dorset independent schools are ranked, all on that single measure, so a school's position reflects its average across every A level entry and says nothing about GCSE results, the IB, pastoral care or fees. The table also shows how many A level students each school entered, which matters when reading the smaller figures.
Which private schools in Dorset have the best A level results?
| Rank | School | Town | A level average point score | Average grade | A level students | Pupils | Day or boarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canford School | Wimborne | 45.77 | A- | 131 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 2 | Talbot Heath School | Bournemouth | 39.60 | B | 32 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 3 | Sherborne School for Girls | Sherborne | 38.79 | B | 83 | Girls | Day and boarding |
| 4 | Bryanston School | Blandford Forum | 38.49 | B | 125 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 5 | Sherborne School | Sherborne | 38.15 | B- | 119 | Boys | Day and boarding |
| 6 | Leweston School | Sherborne | 36.75 | B- | 30 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 7 | Bournemouth Collegiate School | Bournemouth | 36.62 | B- | 27 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 8 | Clayesmore School | Blandford Forum | 34.79 | C+ | 56 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 9 | Kings Bournemouth | Bournemouth | 34.17 | C+ | 9 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
| 10 | Milton Abbey School | Blandford Forum | 23.70 | D+ | 37 | Co-educational | Day and boarding |
The figures run from 45.77 at Canford School down to 23.70 at Milton Abbey School (D+), a spread that the middle of the table does not reproduce. Canford School sits clear of Talbot Heath School in second place at 39.60, whilst positions 2 to 5 are bunched together: Talbot Heath School, Sherborne School for Girls (38.79), Bryanston School (38.49) and Sherborne School (38.15) all fall between 38.15 and 39.60, and the first three carry a B grade.
A second cluster sits just below, with Leweston School at 36.75 and Bournemouth Collegiate School at 36.62 both graded B-, alongside Sherborne School at 38.15 at its upper edge. Clayesmore School (34.79) and Kings Bournemouth (34.17) form a third pair at C+, and Milton Abbey School at 23.70 sits well below every other school in the table.
Every ranked school takes both day pupils and boarders, so that distinction does not separate the table. By intake, Sherborne School for Girls is the only girls' school and Sherborne School the only boys' school, with the rest co-educational. Cohort sizes differ sharply: Canford School entered 131 students, Bryanston School 125 and Sherborne School 119, against 30 at Leweston School, 27 at Bournemouth Collegiate School and just 9 at Kings Bournemouth, whose average can move a long way on a handful of results.
Entry points and fees at the ranked Dorset 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canford School | 13+ (Year 9) | £14,315 (incl. VAT) | 2026/27 |
| Talbot Heath School | 7+, 8+, 11+, 13+, 16+ | £7,626 (incl. VAT) | 2026/27 |
| Sherborne School | £12,175 (excl. VAT) | 2026/27, from 1 September 2026 | |
| Leweston School | 11+, 13+ and Sixth Form | £7,909 | 2026/27 |
| Clayesmore School | £7,390 | 2025/26 | |
| Milton Abbey School | Primary entry at 13+ (Year 9) | £11,412 (incl. VAT) | 2026/27 |
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Enquire about this tutorWhich is the top girls' school in Dorset for A level results?
Sherborne School for Girls is the highest-ranked girls' school in Dorset, in third place with an average point score of 38.79 (grade B) across 83 A level students. It is the only girls' school in the ranking, and it takes both day pupils and boarders.
Its closest comparison in the town is Sherborne School, the boys' school in fifth place at 38.15 (B-) with 119 students. Leweston School, also in Sherborne, is co-educational and ranks sixth at 36.75 (B-) with 30 students.
Which Dorset private schools take boarders?
All ten ranked schools offer day and boarding places, so every school in the table can take boarders as well as day pupils. They are Canford School (Wimborne), Talbot Heath School, Bournemouth Collegiate School and Kings Bournemouth (all Bournemouth), Sherborne School for Girls, Sherborne School and Leweston School (all Sherborne), and Bryanston School, Clayesmore School and Milton Abbey School (all Blandford Forum).
Because boarding is universal here, the practical choice for a family tends to turn on location, single-sex or co-educational intake and cohort size. Bournemouth, Sherborne and Blandford Forum each have three of the ten schools, with Canford School the only one in Wimborne.
What does the Dorset A level ranking leave out?
The ranking covers only schools with A level results in the DfE performance tables, so a Dorset independent school that teaches the IB, or enters few or no pupils for A levels, does not appear. A school's absence from the table therefore says nothing about its sixth form.
It also excludes entry requirements and subject mix. A school with 9 A level students, such as Kings Bournemouth at 34.17, is measured on far fewer results than Canford School with 131, so the smaller figures are best read as indicative and checked against the school's own published results.
How the schools are ranked
The ranking covers every independent school in Dorset, Bournemouth and Christchurch and Poole 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
- Canford School (ranked 1)
- Talbot Heath School (ranked 2)
- Bryanston School (ranked 4)
- Sherborne School (ranked 5)
- Leweston School (ranked 6)
- Bournemouth Collegiate School (ranked 7)
- Clayesmore School (ranked 8)
- Milton Abbey School (ranked 10)
Related guides
- Best grammar schools in Bournemouth and Poole
- 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
- What is the best private school in Dorset for A level results?
- Canford School in Wimborne has the highest average point score per A level entry among Dorset's ranked independent schools, at 45.77 (grade A-) across 131 A level students. Talbot Heath School is second at 39.60 (B), and Sherborne School for Girls is third at 38.79 (B).
- How many private schools in Dorset are in the A level ranking?
- Ten Dorset independent schools are ranked, each on one measure: average point score per A level entry from the latest DfE performance tables. Schools on the same figure would share a rank, though no two of the ten do.
- Which is the top girls' private school in Dorset?
- Sherborne School for Girls is the only girls' school in the ranking and sits third, with an average point score of 38.79 (grade B) from 83 A level students. It takes both day pupils and boarders, and it is located in Sherborne.
- Which is the top boys' private school in Dorset?
- Sherborne School is the only boys' school in the ranking, placed fifth with an average point score of 38.15 (grade B-) across 119 A level students. It admits day pupils and boarders, and sits in Sherborne alongside two other ranked schools.
- What does the average point score per A level entry mean?
- It is the DfE's average of points across all A level entries at a school, with A* worth 60, A 50, B 40 and C 30. The grade shown, such as A- or B, is the DfE's fine-grade expression of that average.
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