What schools serve Brighton?

There are 63 schools in Brighton, Brighton and Hove, including Tarnerland Nursery School, Royal Spa Nursery School, Coombe Road Primary School, Downs Junior School, Downs Infant School and more. You can view each school's catchment area guidance and admissions policy on catchment.school.

How many primary and secondary schools are in Brighton?

Brighton has 40 primary schools and 6 secondary schools. There are also 17 other schools (such as all-through or special schools) in the area. All data is sourced from the Department for Education's GIAS register.

How do I find out if my address is in a school's catchment area in Brighton?

To check whether your address falls within a school's catchment area in Brighton, use the postcode search tool at catchment.school. Catchment area boundaries for Brighton schools are set by Brighton and Hove and reviewed each year. You can also consult the school's admissions policy or contact the Brighton and Hove admissions team directly for the most up-to-date boundary maps.

Who sets catchment area boundaries for schools in Brighton?

Catchment area boundaries for schools in Brighton are set by Brighton and Hove as the admissions authority. Community and voluntary-controlled schools follow the council's published admissions policy, while academies and voluntary-aided schools may set their own. Boundaries are reviewed annually and published each September for the following academic year.

Schools in Brighton

Reviewed by the catchment.school editorial team · Last updated 15 March 2026

Brighton has 63 schools including 40 primaries and 6 secondaries, administered by Brighton and Hove City Council. As one of England's most densely populated cities outside London, primary catchments in Brighton are among the tightest in the South East - schools in the Hanover, Fiveways and Hollingdean areas routinely fill within 300 to 500 metres of the school gate, and sibling priority is often decisive for families planning ahead.

Secondary provision in Brighton is more concentrated than primary, with six state secondary schools serving the city. Varndean School and Dorothy Stringer are the two largest and most oversubscribed; both operate non-selective comprehensive admissions co-ordinated by Brighton and Hove Council. The council's fair banding arrangement ensures a broad ability range is maintained across all Brighton state secondaries.

School demand in Brighton

Across the 53 schools in Brighton with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 87%. 4 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.

10 schools in Brighton have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.

8 of the schools in Brighton are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Brighton and Hove, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.

22 of the schools in Brighton have a current Ofsted rating, of which 19 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.

Primary schools in Brighton: 1 oversubscribed (40)

Coombe Road Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 4BP

Ages 4-11 175 pupils Capacity 210

Downs Junior School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 6ED

Ages 7-11 499 pupils Capacity 512

Downs Infant School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 6JA

Ages 5-7 322 pupils Capacity 300

Hertford Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 7FP

Ages 4-11 210 pupils Capacity 218

Middle Street Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 1AL

Ages 4-11 192 pupils Capacity 210

Patcham Junior School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 8TA

Ages 7-11 341 pupils Capacity 384

Patcham Infant School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 8WW

Ages 3-7 278 pupils Capacity 320

St Luke's Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 9ZF

Ages 4-11 625 pupils Capacity 630

Stanford Junior School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 5PR

Ages 7-11 304 pupils Capacity 384

Stanford Infant School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 5PS

Ages 4-7 211 pupils Capacity 270

Westdene Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 5GN

Ages 3-11 476 pupils Capacity 500

Carlton Hill Primary School

Primary · Community school

BRIGHTON · BN2 9HS

Ages 4-11 215 pupils Capacity 218

Balfour Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 6NE

Ages 4-11 682 pupils Capacity 718

Coldean Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN1 9EN

Ages 3-11 324 pupils Capacity 406

Brackenbury Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN41 2LA

Ages 5-11 194 pupils Capacity 230

Mile Oak Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN41 2WN

Ages 4-11 380 pupils Capacity 420

Peter Gladwin Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN41 2PA

Ages 4-11 201 pupils Capacity 218

Elm Grove Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 3ES

Ages 4-11 412 pupils Capacity 436

Queen's Park Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 0BN

Ages 4-11 315 pupils Capacity 420

Saltdean Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 8HB

Ages 4-11 564 pupils Capacity 640

Bevendean Primary School and Nursery

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 4JP

Ages 3-11 308 pupils Capacity 420

Rudyard Kipling Primary School & Nursery

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 6RH

Ages 2-11 336 pupils Capacity 436

Fairlight Primary School

Primary · Community school

Brighton · BN2 3AJ

Ages 3-11 374 pupils Capacity 420