Best secondary schools in Lewes

Cardinal Newman Catholic School is the top-ranked secondary school in Lewes (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 Lewes secondary pool.

Hove Junior School tops the Lewes primary school ranking (LocaleIQ 95.9). Ofsted: Outstanding. KS2 expected 76% · higher 9%. See the full primary school ranking for Lewes 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 Lewes: 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 Lewes 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 Lewes 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-led moves in Lewes should still be checked against postcode quality, because a compact town can hide sharp micro-differences. Postcode averages mask individual variation — always review each school's full profile.