Best secondary schools in East Sussex

Cardinal Newman Catholic School is the top-ranked secondary school in East Sussex (LocaleIQ score 90.3 out of 100). Ofsted: Outstanding. Attainment 8 50.4. The score combines Ofsted outcome, Progress 8 and Attainment 8, and cohort-weighted percentile ranks within the East Sussex secondary pool.

Hove Junior School tops the East Sussex primary school ranking (LocaleIQ 95.9). Ofsted: Outstanding. KS2 expected 76% · higher 9%. See the full primary school ranking for East Sussex for the complete list.

Attainment 8 measures average GCSE grades across eight subjects; Progress 8 compares actual grades against predictions based on KS2 — a positive figure means pupils outperformed expectations. Top performers in East Sussex: Cardinal Newman Catholic School (Attainment 8 50.4); King's School (Attainment 8 53.7); Varndean School (Attainment 8 48.8). Both metrics feed into the LocaleIQ secondary school score.

1 secondary school in the East Sussex ranking hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating: Cardinal Newman Catholic School. Outstanding means Ofsted judged the school exceptional in all inspection areas. LocaleIQ weighs DfE performance data alongside Ofsted, so a Good-rated school can still rank highly.

This ranking covers 10 secondary schools in the East Sussex comparison pool, across 6 local authority districts. Schools without sufficient published data are excluded but may appear in the LocaleIQ directory.

By average LocaleIQ score across postcode areas, BN3 has the strongest cluster — 66.5 average across 4 ranked secondary schools. BN1 sits at the lower end (50.9 average). School decisions in East Sussex are important, but the county still needs postcode comparison because local conditions vary sharply. Postcode averages mask individual variation — always review each school's full profile.