London’s best state secondary schools, based on 2024 GCSE and A-Level results

Londoners are a clever lot. Five of our unis are officially among the best in the world, we have England’s best private school and boast the only state school to be part of the World Leading Schools Association. Not bad going at all. 

But how did our state schools do in their exams this year? Education consultant Britannia UK has just unveiled its league table of grammar and comprehensive schools across the UK based on 2024 GCSE and A Level results. 

The top achiever for both London and the UK overall was the Henrietta Barnett School, an all-girls grammar school in Hampstead. This year, it saw 81 percent A or A*s at A Level and 96 percent of GCSEs achieving between a 7 and a 9. 

But coming up trumps when we look at just GCSE results is Queen Elizabeth’s School, a boy’s grammar school in Barnet. It just pipped Henrietta Barnett to the post with 96.3 percent of all GCSEs being marked 7 to 9. 

Here’s the full breakdown of the capital’s highest achieving state schools, according to this year’s exam results. 

Top 10 London state schools based on GCSE results 2024 

1. Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet (96.3 percent)
2. The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead Garden Suburb (96 percent)
3. St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington (95 percent)
4. The Latymer School, Edmonton (85 percent)
5. Tiffin School, Kingston upon Thames (78 percent)
6. The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Holland Park (57.7 percent)
7. The Grey Coat Hospital, Westminster (55.5 percent)
8. Camden School for Girls, Camden (54 percent)
9. Lady Margaret School, Parsons Green (51 percent)
10. Mossbourne Community Academy, Hackney (51 percent)

Top 10 London state schools based on A Level results 2024 

1. The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead Garden Suburb (81 percent)
2. St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington (74 percent)
3. Tiffin School, Kingston upon Thames (72 percent)
4. The Latymer School, Edmonton (67 percent)
5. JFS, Harrow (55 percent)
6. West London Free School, Hammersmith (52 percent)
7. Camden School for Girls, Camden (50 percent)
8. Twyford CofE High School, Acton (48 percent)
9. The London Oratory School, West Brompton (45 percent)
10. = Ashcroft Technology Academy, Putney (45 percent) 
11. = The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Holland Park (45 percent)

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Want to know how these compare to Britain’s private schools? Have a look at this list of England’s 10 best private schools, according to 2024’s A-level and GCSE results. And if you’re interested in university rankings, we’ve covered those too. Take your pick from Times Higher Education, the Sunday Times 2025 ranking, the Daily Mail, the Guardian or the Academic Ranking of World Universities. 

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