In the latest ranking of secondary schools in 2025 published by The Times, private schools always take the lead, but the performance of some public schools is quite eye-catching.
Recently, The Sunday Times, an influential British media, officially launched The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide for 2025. This guide is not only a reference for parents in the UK to choose schools, but also a valuable and important list for parents who intend to send their children to study in the UK.
In the latest ranking of secondary schools in 2025 published by The Times, private schools always take the lead, but the performance of some public schools is quite eye-catching. St Paul's Girls' School in London once again topped the comprehensive ranking with its excellent results in the A-Level exam. This prestigious school attaches great importance to the in-depth excavation and cultivation of students' critical thinking and leadership skills. The proportion of its students admitted to top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge has been at a high level for a long time, and it is unique in the field of education in the UK and has a great reputation.
1. St Paul's Girls' School, founded in 1904, is the leading model of day school for girls in Britain. Its enrollment scope covers girls aged 11 to 18. The campus environment is beautiful and full of cultural details, creating an excellent learning atmosphere for students. The school has a strong faculty, with a group of high-quality, experienced and enthusiastic teachers, who are committed to providing personalized education guidance for every student.
For a long time, the students' performance in the academic field has been excellent, and their achievements have always been among the best. In the important examination of A-Level in 2024, Sao Paulo Girls' School made great achievements, with an A rate as high as 62.4% and an A/A grade ratio of 88.9%. Looking back on the course of the past ten years, the school has topped the list of the best private schools in Britain for nine times, and this year it has continued to write brilliantly and successfully defended its top position, demonstrating its unshakable outstanding position and profound foundation in the field of elite education in Britain. The school also actively carries out a variety of extracurricular activities, from artistic creation to scientific experiments, from sports competitions to community activities, to expand students' horizons and comprehensive literacy in an all-round way, laying a solid and comprehensive foundation for their future development.
2. St Paul's School, located on the banks of the beautiful Thames in London, England, dates back to 1509. It was founded by John Colet, then the godfather of the church and a lecturer at Oxford. It has a long history of more than 500 years and witnessed the writing of countless educational legends.
In the summer of 2024, the candidates of St. Paul's College showed extremely strong strength, and the score of A*-A was as high as 88%, which was significantly improved compared with 84% last year, and even surpassed the prestigious Westminster School, which once again attracted widespread attention and praise in the British education sector. With its profound historical accumulation, excellent teaching quality and rich educational resources, the school has always been committed to providing students with the best educational environment and growth platform, cultivating outstanding talents with profound knowledge, noble morality and broad vision from generation to generation, becoming a dazzling evergreen tree in the field of British education, continuously emitting unique and charming charm, attracting students from all over the world to yearn for and admire.
3. Brighton College, as a well-known mixed-sex private institution in Britain, has been focusing on delivering world-class educational resources to students aged 3 to 18 since its establishment in 1845, and carefully carving their growth path.
Its teaching achievements are remarkable, and its achievements in the A-Level exam in 2024 are remarkable. Up to 99.3% of the students got excellent grades of A*-B, and 86% of them got A *-A.. It is particularly worth mentioning that boys and girls have achieved an amazing balance in the number of A * s, with 167 students each successfully reaching the top, which fully demonstrates the outstanding achievements of the school in the fairness and comprehensiveness of education. With such excellent educational strength and impressive academic achievements, the graduates of Brighton College have successfully entered the gates of the top famous universities in the UK like bright stars, among which Oxford and Cambridge are their favorite academic halls and frequently set foot in them, adding a strong touch to the educational legend of the school, making it shine in the vast starry sky of British private education and become the educational holy land that many students and parents dream of.
4. King's College School Wimbledon, with many nicknames, such as Wimbledon, KCS, King and KCS Wimbledon, is an outstanding private day school located in Wimbledon, southwest London, England.
On the stage of the A-Level exam in 2024, the students of this school shine brilliantly. Among all A-Level candidates, 52 students shine like bright academic stars. With solid foundation and unremitting efforts, they have gained at least three A* s, which undoubtedly shows their profound knowledge reserves and superb learning ability. What's even more amazing is that 26 of them were born like academic masters, and they won four or five A's with super strength. They added a lot of color to the school's educational achievements with their excellent achievements, which further enhanced the reputation of the school in the British education field and became the focus of attention of many students and parents. Its excellent educational quality and excellent teaching effect are self-evident, which continues to attract students with dreams and pursuit of Excellence.
5. Westminster School occupies a pivotal position in British education. Every year, the school has a dazzling performance in further studies. About 49% of the students can successfully enter Oxford and Cambridge, 50% of the students can successfully enter the top universities in Britain, and 5% of the students are admitted to famous universities in the United States. It ranks second in Britain, and its profound historical heritage has nurtured many outstanding alumni, including seven British prime ministers and three Nobel Prize winners. These brilliant achievements are undoubtedly a powerful testimony to the excellent educational quality of the school.
In the A-Level exam in 2024, 201 candidates from Westminster College once again proved the school's extraordinary strength. They have made amazing achievements, and the A*/A ratio is as high as 87%, of which the proportion of A is 58%. What is particularly striking is that 89 students showed super academic ability and won at least 3 A's, among which 47 students won 4 A* s and 5 students won 5 A* s in one fell swoop. Such remarkable achievements not only highlight the students' hard work and talent, but also highlight the school's Excellence in teaching methods, teachers' strength and academic atmosphere, which makes it continue to shine brightly on the stage of elite education in Britain and become a fascinating place for many students.
6. Godolphin and Latymer School has a unique development course. Originally a boys' school in the 1960s, it was merged and renamed in 1905 and successfully transformed into a private day school for girls aged 11 to 18.
This school is unique in its curriculum, offering not only A-level courses, but also IB courses with an international perspective. In the A-Level exam in 2024, the school performed well, with an A rate of 40.5% and an A or A ratio as high as 82.2%, which fully demonstrated its outstanding achievements in A-level teaching. In terms of IB courses, 8 of the 30 candidates scored 43 points or above (out of 45 points), and 19 scored 40 points or above. This series of remarkable achievements undoubtedly proved the strong educational strength of the school under the diversified curriculum teaching system, whether for students aiming at A-level exams or students who prefer IB courses. The school can give them ample room for growth and solid academic support, help them to overcome difficulties in their future studies, step into the door of the world's top universities, become the ideal educational choice for many girls and their parents, and shine their own dazzling light in the field of private women's education in Britain.
7. North London Collegiate School, located in Edgware, Harrow, London, is a private day school for girls with a rich history. It was founded in 1850 by Frances Buss, a pioneer in education. As the first institution in British history, it has given girls an equal opportunity to educate boys, and has always stood proudly in the long journey of women's education and led the fashion.
As time goes by, in 2024, the graduates of this school will shine brilliantly on the academic stage. The capture rate of A grades is as high as 47.2%, A-A grades account for 85%, and A*-B grades account for 96%. These groups of data are like bright stars, illuminating the sky of educational achievements of the school. What's more, the scores of EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) exam participated by 45 students in this grade are even more amazing. All the scores are A * or A, reaching an amazing 100% excellent level. This series of remarkable achievements is not only a vivid portrayal of students' hard work and talent, but also a powerful testimony of the school's long-term intensive cultivation and perseverance in educational concepts, teaching methods, teacher training and academic atmosphere creation. It continues to inject a strong impetus into the cause of women's education, inspiring generations of female students to pursue their dreams and sharpen themselves here, and March forward courageously towards a broader future. It also makes North London College have an unshakable lofty position and far-reaching influence in the field of women's education in Britain and even the world, and has become an educational holy place for many girls who are eager for quality education and their families.
8. Guildford High School, a famous day school founded in 1888, is quietly located in Surrey, southwest London. After years of precipitation and baptism, it has always adhered to its mission, focusing on creating a first-class educational environment for girls aged 4 to 18 who have great academic potential and helping them embark on a dream-seeking journey.
Here, education is not only limited to inculcating knowledge, but also focuses on guiding girls to find a perfect balance between academic pursuit and quality of life, so as to achieve all-round growth and achievements. For this reason, when you have ardent expectations for your daughter's future, guildford Middle School will undoubtedly shine like a bright lighthouse in your school choice field of vision and become the ideal choice worthy of trust and hope.
Looking back on the battlefield of A-level examination in 2024, the girls in guildford Middle School once again wrote a glorious chapter with outstanding charm. As many as 49% of the students successfully got A, and 84% of them got A-A scores. Behind these shining data, the school's in-depth exploration and unremitting efforts in the field of education and teaching for many years are condensed. From the carefully designed curriculum system to the experienced and caring teachers' team, from the expansion of colorful extracurricular activities to the creation of a warm and harmonious campus cultural atmosphere, every link is like a precision gear, which closely engages and works together to promote students to move forward steadily on the academic road and bloom confidently on the life stage, laying a solid and bright foundation for their future.
9. City of London School for Girls, located in the heart of the City of London, is a private day school dedicated to providing quality education for girls aged 7 to 18. The school skillfully divides the education system into three unique departments: Years 7-8, which focuses on building basic knowledge for students and cultivating good study habits and interests; Senior Department (Years 9-11) to further deepen the knowledge system and improve students' comprehensive literacy and autonomous learning ability; The Sixth Grade Department (Years 12-13) is committed to making full preparations for students' higher education convergence and future career planning.
In the highly competitive GCSE exam in 2024, the girls in the school showed amazing strength and style. Up to 94.76% of the students scored 7 points or above. This outstanding achievement is like a bright pearl, shining in the educational sky of London. Behind such brilliant achievements, it is inseparable from the strong support of the school's advanced educational concepts and teaching methods. The school pays attention to personalized education, formulates its own study plan according to each student's characteristics and needs, and actively carries out a variety of extracurricular activities, from academic competitions to artistic creation, from sports competitions to community services, to expand students' horizons and thinking in an all-round way and cultivate their teamwork spirit and leadership. In addition, the school has a team of high-quality, experienced and caring teachers, who, like hardworking gardeners, carefully water every budding flower, and use professional knowledge and patient guidance to help students make steady progress on the academic road and bloom confidently in the process of growth. London City Girls' School, with its excellent educational quality and unique educational charm, has become an ideal place for many parents to choose education for their daughters, and has also added a lot of color to the development of British women's education.
10. Henrietta Barnett School (HBS for short), as a leader in public grammar schools, has won the honor of "Best Public School of the Year" with the dazzling achievement that 27 students have successfully received admission notices from Oxford and Cambridge universities, and ranks first in the ranking of British public schools. This school mainly enrolls girls aged 11 to 18, which opens the door to quality education for them.
The principal of HBS emphatically pointed out that public schools do have many restrictions on educational resources, and they face many challenges compared with those private universities with abundant funds and resources. However, even under such relatively limited conditions, HBS students still show excellent performance in their studies and other aspects by virtue of their hard work, talent and good learning atmosphere carefully created by the school. The headmaster has ardent expectations. He hopes that in the future, by increasing the investment in education funds and further strengthening the support of teachers, he can break the limitations of existing resources and create more fair and high-quality education opportunities for more students, so that every student with dreams can be fully nourished and grown here, so that this famous public school can continue to shine in the British education field, become an education hall that many students and parents trust and yearn for, and also contribute a solid force to the continuous development of public education.
At the beginning of this year, at a brand-new public meeting, Bhaskar Vira, vice president of Cambridge University, and Tom Levinson, head of enrollment, jointly put forward an eye-catching "access and participation plan". This plan contains great changes, the core point of which is that the previous practice of setting enrollment targets according to the types of source schools will be abandoned when enrolling undergraduate students in the future, that is to say, the proportion of enrollment places corresponding to public schools and private schools will no longer be clearly divided. In this way, the enrollment work will focus more on students' comprehensive quality, academic ability and development potential, aiming at building a fairer, more diverse and reasonable enrollment environment, so that every student with Cambridge dreams, whether from public schools or private schools, can compete for admission opportunities on the same relatively fair platform by virtue of their own strength, which will undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact on the pattern of further education in Britain and even the international education community.
The following are the detailed top 100 rankings of the Parent Power 2025 School Guide:
