New data shows how schools across our region performed in the 2024/25 academic year
The top performing secondary schools for GCSE performance have been revealed. The Department of Education this week published data for every secondary school in England based on GCSE results for the 2024/25 academic year.
The figures are released just two weeks before parents in many areas face a deadline to submit applications for Year 7 places in September 2026. But because of pandemic lockdowns, this year's league tables are missing one key performance indicator which can help families choose schools.
The pupil progress, or 'added value' score is not available because children in the Class of '25 were not assessed at primary school at the time of Covid lockdowns back in 2020.
It means for the first time in a decade, officials were unable to calculate a 'Progress' score showing the extent to which schools had improved pupils' performance over the course of their secondary school education, between the ages of 11 and 16.
In Liverpool the top rated school when it comes to pupils achieving Grade 5 or above in English and maths is The Blue Coat School in Liverpool, with 97.7% of pupils achieving those grades.
In second place is Archbishop Blanche CofE School with 68.3%, followed by King David in Childwall (67.5%), Liverpool College (65.5%) and St Hilda's Church of England (64.9%).
In Wirral the top rated school is West Kirkby Grammar with a 95.6% figure for pupils achieving Grade 5 or above in English and Maths. Calday Grange Grammar is in second place with 92.6%, followed by Wirral Grammar School for Girls (92.2%), Wirral Grammar School for Boys (91%) and Upton Hall (88.3%).
The overall figures for Knowsley are considerably lower. The top rated school in the borough is Halewood Academy, where just 37.7% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English and Maths. This is followed by All Saints Catholic Academy (33.5%), Lord Derby Academy (27.5%), The Prescot School (22.6%) and Kirkby High School (18.9%).
Formby High School is top of the tree in Sefton with a rating of 65.8%. Next up is Birkdale High (57.4%), Chesterfield High (51.8%), Greenbank High (50.5%) and Maricourt Catholic High School (43.7%).
And in St Helens, the top ranked school is Rainford High, where 56.2% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English in Maths. Second places goes to Rainhill High School (40.5%), followed by The Sutton Academy (38.7%), De La Salle School (33.9%) and Hope Academy (31.8%).
You can see the performance of every school in England by using our interactive gadget. Type in the name of a school, or the local authority area, to see details of your school.
Schools are ranked here by three metrics for Key Stage 4 education; the percentage of pupils achieving GCSE Grade 5 or above in English and Maths, the percentage of pupils of pupils achieving GCSE Grade 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate, and the average exam result for pupils in the school (which is based on an 'Attainment' score).
Overall, GCSE results were up slightly for the second year in a row for schools in England. The Grade-5 pass rate went up to 55 per cent from 54.6 per cent in 2024. That is also up on the pre-pandemic figure of 53.5 per cent. However, the Grade-5 pass rate for English and Maths was down on the previous year.
The proportion of grades 7 to 9, which are equivalent to A*/A, rose by nearly 2 percentage points in 2025. The data for 2025 also showed a continued regional divide with just 17.8 per cent of GCSEs ranked at grade 7 or above in the North East of England, compared with 28.4 per cent in London.
School-level data released this week comes just in time for parents who have children recently starting their last year at Primary School. In many council areas, there is a deadline of October 31 for parents to apply for places for their children to start at secondary schools in Year 7 in September 2026.