Schools in Bolton
128 state-funded schools, 52,807 pupils. 96.1% of those carrying an Ofsted grade are Good or Outstanding, including 22 rated Outstanding.
Ofsted Management Information, Feb 2026. Grades are the current published rating, which may pre-date the school’s most recent visit.
Ofsted grades
1 school has been inspected under Ofsted's post-September-2024 report-card framework, which replaces the single 1–4 grade with separate judgments. Those are excluded from the percentages above rather than mapped onto the old scale, because the two scales have no clean equivalence.
Quick answers
How many schools are there in Bolton?
Bolton has 128 state-funded schools teaching 52,807 pupils. 97 primary, 19 secondary, 7 special.
What percentage of schools in Bolton are Good or Outstanding?
96.1% of the 127 schools carrying an Ofsted grade in Bolton are rated Good or Outstanding: 22 Outstanding and 100 Good. 5 require improvement and 0 are rated Inadequate.
Which schools in Bolton are rated Outstanding?
22 schools are currently rated Outstanding by Ofsted in Bolton: Eden Boys' School, Bolton, The Valley Community Primary School, Pikes Lane Primary School, St Mary's CofE Primary School, Deane, Oxford Grove Primary School, The Olive School, Bolton, and 16 more listed below.
Rated Outstanding
Ofsted’s highest grade. Largest first; a grade can be several years old, so the year is shown.
- Eden Boys' School, BoltonSecondary623Outstanding 2023
- The Valley Community Primary SchoolPrimary524Outstanding 2023
- Pikes Lane Primary SchoolPrimary522Outstanding 2023
- St Mary's CofE Primary School, DeanePrimary486Outstanding 2024
- Oxford Grove Primary SchoolPrimary451Outstanding 2023
- The Olive School, BoltonPrimary425Outstanding 2019
- St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolPrimary422Outstanding 2021
- Sacred Heart R.C. Primary SchoolPrimary416Outstanding 2024
- Moorgate Primary SchoolPrimary338Outstanding 2023
- Rumworth SchoolSpecial336Outstanding 2024
- Markland Hill Primary SchoolPrimary317Outstanding 2024
- Blackrod Primary SchoolPrimary312Outstanding 2024
- St Paul's CofE Primary School, Astley BridgePrimary264Outstanding 2024
- Prestolee Primary SchoolPrimary252Outstanding 2024
- Eatock Primary SchoolPrimary234Outstanding 2024
- Johnson Fold Community Primary SchoolPrimary229Outstanding 2023
- Ladywood SchoolSpecial211Outstanding 2023
- Lostock Primary SchoolPrimary210Outstanding 2024
- Green Fold SchoolSpecial166Outstanding 2023
- Grosvenor Nursery School and Day Care CentreNursery146Outstanding 2024
- Youth Challenge PruAlternative provision78Outstanding 2024
- Forwards CentreAlternative provision41Outstanding 2025
By phase
| Phase | Schools | Graded | Good or better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 97 | 96 | 99% |
| Secondary | 19 | 19 | 78.9% |
| Special | 7 | 7 | 100% |
| Alternative provision | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Nursery | 2 | 2 | 100% |
Every school in Bolton
Showing 20 of 128 schools.
| New framework | Links | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canon Slade School | Secondary | 1,747 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Turton School | Secondary | 1,606 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Thornleigh Salesian College | Secondary | 1,576 | Good2019 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Westhoughton High School | Secondary | 1,338 | Requires Improvement2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Sharples School | Secondary | 1,218 | Good2013 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Smithills School | Secondary | 1,201 | Requires Improvement2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Harper Green School | Secondary | 1,126 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Ladybridge High School | Secondary | 1,123 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Essa Academy | Secondary | 1,077 | Good2021 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Little Lever School | Secondary | 1,064 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St James's Church of England High School | Secondary | 1,064 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Joseph's RC High School | Secondary | 1,051 | Good2025 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Bolton St Catherine's Academy | Secondary | 1,020 | Requires Improvement2025 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy Grade inherited from previous URN 105263 | Secondary | 901 | Requires Improvement2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
King's Leadership Academy Bolton | Secondary | 899 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Kearsley Academy | Secondary | 780 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Bolton Muslim Girls School | Secondary | 752 | Good2025 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Bede Academy | Primary | 660 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Eden Boys' School, Bolton | Secondary | 623 | Outstanding2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Ss Simon & Jude CofE Primary School, Bolton | Primary | 607 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Schools are one input. Bolton’s pay, house prices, rent, council tax, crime and deprivation are on the Bolton profile, and the UK regions tool compares all 361 Local Authorities side by side.