Seven out of the top ten are in one area of the cityPaul Gallagher (Data Unit), Carlos Novoa (Data Unit) and Greta Simpson

18:57, 19 Oct 2025Updated 22:16, 19 Oct 2025

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys was in the top three (Image: Getty Images)

Seven of the top ten performing secondary schools in Greater Manchester are located in Trafford, the M.E.N can reveal.

The Department for Education has today (October 17) published GCSE performance data for every secondary school in England for the last academic year.

The figures are released just two weeks before parents in Greater Manchester face a deadline to submit applications for Year 7 places in September 2026.

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Trafford grammar schools dominate the list of best-performing schools for 2025 for another year, claiming the top seven places in the table – and the top three schools are all in Altrincham.

Altrincham Grammar School for Girls was in first place, with 99.5 per cent of pupils scoring a grade 5 or above in English and Maths GCSEs. Only eleven state secondary schools in the country were able to beat that score and achieve the full 100 per cent.

In second place for Greater Manchester was Saint Ambrose College with 98 per cent and Altrincham Grammar School for Boys third, also on 98 per cent of pupils scoring a 5 or better in English and Maths.

These are followed by Sale Grammar, Stretford Grammar, Urmston Grammar, and Loreto Grammar School, with hulme>Cheadle Hulme High School in Stockport the first school to enter the top ten that is not in Trafford with a score of 74.6%.

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.

The table ranks schools by the basic measurement for English and Maths only, plus the percentage of pupils who gained grade 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate, which is a broader range of subjects.

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.

The Progress 8 score will also be missing for next year’s school performance data.

Top of the class for GCSE results this year is Wilson’s School in Wallington, Sutton, which can trace its history back 400 years to 1615 and is one of the oldest state schools in the country.

The selective state boys’ grammar school was one of just eleven schools where 100% of pupils scored a Grade 5 or above in English and Maths, equivalent to a C or above in the traditional grading system.

GCSE results day 2025(Image: Fairfield High School for Girls)

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.

The top 20 performing schools in Greater Manchester

Altrincham Grammar School for Girls (Trafford) – 99.5%

Saint Ambrose College (Trafford) – 98.0%

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys (Trafford) – 98.0%

Sale Grammar School (Trafford) – 96.9%

Stretford Grammar School (Trafford) – 95.0%

Urmston Grammar Academy (Trafford) – 94.7%

Loreto Grammar School (Trafford) – 91.7%

Cheadle Hulme High School (Stockport) – 74.6%

The Blue Coat CofE School (Oldham) – 73.6%

Eden Boys’ Leadership Academy, (Manchester) – 67.2%

Wellington School (Trafford) – 63.3%

Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, (Manchester) – 62.8%

Chorlton High School (Manchester) – 61.2%

Sharples School (Bolton) – 61.1%

St Damian’s RC Science College (Tameside) – 60.9%

Didsbury High School (Manchester) – 60.4%

North Cestrian School (Trafford) – 60.1%

Hollingworth Academy (Rochdale) – 59.8%

Marple Hall School (Stockport) – 59.6%

The King David High School (Manchester) – 59.3%