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Top State Primary Schools in England

December 19, 2025

With more than 16,000 state-funded primary schools in England, choosing the right school for your child can feel overwhelming. While academic outcomes should never be the only factor, Key Stage 2 (KS2) SATs results remain one of the clearest national benchmarks for understanding academic performance at the end of primary school.

This guide highlights the top state primary schools in England, using 2024 KS2 SATs scaled scores, as published in The Sunday Times Parent Power league tables. Alongside results, parents are encouraged to consider wider factors such as school ethos, wellbeing support, SEND provision and enrichment.

Understanding Average KS2 'Scaled Scores'

Average KS2 scaled scores are a simple way of showing how well pupils at a school performed overall in their Key Stage 2 tests.

Here’s what that means in practice:

At the end of primary school (Year 6), children take national tests in reading and mathematics
Each test is marked using a scaled score, which typically runs from 80 to 120
A score of 100 represents the national expected standard

When you see a school’s average KS2 scaled score, it means:

All pupils’ scores in a subject are added together
That total is divided by the number of pupils who took the test
The result is an overall average score for the school

How to read the scores

Around 100 → pupils are broadly meeting national expectations
Above 100 → pupils are, on average, performing above the national standard
Below 100 → pupils are performing below the national standard

This makes average scaled scores a useful way to compare academic performance between schools, while remembering that they are only one part of the picture

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