8 London private schools are the best in England, according to 2025 A-level and GCSE results

There’s no shortage of high achievers in London. In fact, based on last year’s A-level and GCSE results, the majority of England’s smartest students are right here in the capital, making it home to eight of England’s top 10 private schools. 

The Top Schools Guide uses exam results to publish rankings of the best fee-paying schools in the country. According to the 2026 league tables, the majority of England’s brightest boffins are attending school here in the capital. 

Per 2025 exam results, England’s very best private school is St Paul’s School in Barnes. Founded in 1509, in 2025 the all-boys’ school saw 93 percent of its A-Level entries achieve either A or A* and 97.9 percent of it’s GSCE entries awarded top results of 9, 8 or 7. A top tier education will cost you, because fees at this establishment range from £9,551 to £17,981 per term. 

First place’s sister school, St Paul’s Girls’ School, came in a very close second with 88.7 percent achieving the highest A-Level results and an impressive 99.5 percent attaining the GCSE equivalents.

In third place was King’s College School in Wimbledon with 86.1 percent of students getting A* or A at A-Level and 98.26 percent getting 9, 8 or 7 at GCSE. This was followed closely by Westminster, the alma mater of quite a few celebs including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Helena Bonham Carter and Louis Theroux, which had an A-Level A*/A rate of 86 percent and a GCSE 9 to 7 rate of 97.38 percent. 

The best private schools in London according to 2025 A-Level and GCSE results 

1. St Paul’s School
2. St Paul’s Girls’ School
3. King’s College School
4. Westminster School
5. North London Collegiate School
6. Godolphin and Latymer
7. Latymer Upper School
8. Alleyn’s School 

Read here to see the full list of the top 10 private schools in England, based on exam results. 

Plus: The best school in Britain for 2026 is in London.