Are grammar schools better than other state schools? Reading the evidence

Grammar schools are not automatically better than other state schools for every child. Their academically selected intake affects their exam results, so higher average grades alone do not prove better teaching or tell you how your child would do elsewhere. Compare named schools, their provision and your child’s needs.

This guide concerns state grammar schools in England. A grammar school can also be an academy: academy describes governance, while grammar describes academic selection. A fee-paying school with Grammar in its name belongs to a different comparison. See grammar versus comprehensive schools for the underlying admissions distinction.

First decide what “better” means

A useful comparison starts with an outcome you care about. You might want stronger mathematics teaching, reliable support for dyslexia, a manageable journey or access to particular subjects. A school’s overall results cannot answer all those questions.

Why raw grammar-school results need context

Grammar schools select by academic ability before entry. Comparing their average later grades with an all-ability intake therefore combines differences in pupils’ starting points with what happens during secondary education. It does not isolate teaching quality.

The House of Commons Library’s evidence briefing explains that attainment differences narrow after adjustment for prior attainment, while not every intake characteristic can be controlled. Its numerical comparisons concern historical cohorts; they should not be relabelled as 2026 performance.

The same care applies to university destinations. A school’s list of successful applicants can be useful information about recent pupils, but it does not prove that attending the school caused each outcome. Check whether a figure counts offers, accepted places or enrolments, and which pupils form its denominator.

What research says about university entry

A 2024 study by Capsada-Munsech and colleagues, using linked longitudinal and pupil records, found no additional university-enrolment advantage for grammar attendees when comparing pupils with the same GCSE and A-level attainment and socioeconomic background. The analysis included Russell Group enrolment.

That is a specific, conditional finding. Because the comparison holds later exam attainment constant, it does not establish that grammar attendance has no effect on those grades, nor that every school produces identical outcomes. It gives no basis for promising an individual child a university place or a lifetime earnings premium.

Why you will not find new Progress 8 scores for 2025 or 2026

DfE guidance says Progress 8 cannot be calculated for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years because those cohorts lack the relevant Key Stage 2 assessment baseline after pandemic cancellations. Its 2026 checking guidance confirms there is no replacement measure for 2025/26.

Older Progress 8 scores may still appear alongside newer attainment results. Read the year beside each measure. Missing recent Progress 8 is not evidence that a school has stopped making progress, and an old positive score is not a newly measured result.

Where available, Progress 8 compares later attainment with that of pupils nationally who had similar primary-school attainment. That is more informative about starting points than a raw league table, but it still needs context. DfE advises using performance data alongside other information rather than drawing conclusions from one measure.

Questions that turn a comparison into a decision

• How does the school identify a pupil who understands a topic quickly, and what happens next?
• What happens when an academically able pupil needs the same concept explained again?
• How are subject groups reviewed, and how can pupils move between them?
• Who coordinates support when a child has SEND or is struggling with attendance or confidence?
• Which opportunities can an ordinary Year 7 pupil actually access, and are places or transport limited?
• What has changed since the cohort behind the published results attended the school?

A fair comparison for exams taken in 2027

1. 1Choose a small set of actual grammar and non-selective options you would consider.
2. 2Record the date and source of each result, inspection report and curriculum document.
3. 3Check the admission policy for the intended start year. Tests taken in 2027 commonly lead to September 2028 Year 7 entry, but test dates and stages vary.
4. 4Visit or attend available information events and ask the same core questions at each school.
5. 5Discuss the evidence with your child, including the journey and support they would need.

Does a high-achieving child need a grammar school?

No school type is a requirement for a particular future qualification or career. Investigate how each realistic option would teach and support your child, rather than treating selection as a guarantee. Who grammar schools may suit offers a child-focused worksheet; the pros and cons guide covers the wider practical trade-offs.