Schools in Watford
Watford is a commercial town on the edge of Greater London in Hertfordshire with 52 state schools - 36 primaries and 6 secondaries - serving a densely populated area that includes Bushey, Garston and Leavesden. Hertfordshire County Council coordinates admissions, and the town's compact geography means several primary schools are consistently oversubscribed.
Watford's proximity to London attracts families pricing out of the capital, keeping demand for the most popular primaries high. Several of Watford's secondaries have been graded Outstanding by Ofsted, increasing competition at Year 7. Families should note that some Hertfordshire secondaries use feeder-school preferences, so the primary school chosen may affect secondary allocation.
School demand in Watford
Across the 46 schools in Watford with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 95%. 21 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.
9 schools in Watford have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
19 of the schools in Watford are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Hertfordshire, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
22 of the schools in Watford have a current Ofsted rating, of which 20 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Watford: 16 oversubscribed (36)
Central Primary School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD17 2LX
Chater Junior School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD18 0WN
Chater Infant School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD18 7RD
Field Junior School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD18 0AZ
Watford Field School (Infant & Nursery)
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD18 0WF
Parkgate Junior School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD24 7DN
Parkgate Infants' and Nursery School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD24 7RL
St Meryl School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD19 5BT
Cassiobury Junior School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD17 3PD
Kingsway Junior School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD25 0JH
Greenfields Primary School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD19 6QH
Woodhall Primary School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD19 6QX
Cassiobury Infant and Nursery School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD17 3PE
Nascot Wood Junior School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD17 4YS
Kingsway Infants' School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD25 0ES
Leavesden JMI School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD25 7QZ
Coates Way JMI and Nursery School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD25 9NW
Nascot Wood Infant and Nursery School
Primary · Community school
Watford · WD17 4YT
St Joseph Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Watford · WD19 7DW
St Anthony's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Watford · WD18 6BW
St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD25 7HP
The Grove Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Watford · WD25 9RH
Lanchester Primary School
Primary · Free schools
Watford · WD17 3HD
Ascot Road Primary School
Primary · Free schools
Watford · WD18 8AD
Watford St John's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Free schools
Watford · WD17 1JJ
Laurance Haines School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD18 0DD
Warren Dell Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD19 7UZ
Oxhey Wood Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD19 7SL
Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD25 7NX
Bromet Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD19 4SG
Beechfield School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD24 5TY
The Orchard Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD24 5JW
Cherry Tree Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD24 6ST
Knutsford Primary Academy
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD24 7ER
Holy Rood Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD17 4FS
Willow Tree Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Watford · WD18 6LL
Secondary Schools in Watford (6)
Future Academies Watford
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Watford · WD25 7HW
Watford Grammar School for Boys
Secondary · Academy converter
Watford · WD18 7JF
Watford Grammar School for Girls
Secondary · Academy converter
Watford · WD18 0AE
Parmiter's School
Secondary · Academy converter
Watford · WD25 0UU
Saint Michael's Catholic High School
Secondary · Academy converter
Watford · WD25 0SS
Westfield Academy
Secondary · Academy converter
Watford · WD18 6NS
Other Schools in Watford (10)
Kingswood Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
Watford · WD25 0DX
Oxhey Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
Watford · WD19 4RL
Edge Grove School
Not applicable · Other independent school
Watford · WD25 8NL
Stanborough Secondary School
Not applicable · Other independent school
Watford · WD25 9JT
Garston Manor School
Not applicable · Community special school
Watford · WD25 7HR
Colnbrook School
Not applicable · Community special school
Watford · WD19 7UY
Chessbrook Education Support Centre
Not applicable · Pupil referral unit
Watford · WD18 6LJ
West Herts College
All through · Further education
Watford · WD17 3EZ
Stanborough Primary School
Not applicable · Other independent school
Watford · WD25 0DQ
Nisai Virtual Academy Ltd
Not applicable · Special post 16 institution
Watford · WD17 1JJ
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Watford are set by Hertfordshire and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.