Schools in Bedford[1]

Local authority district E06000055 · 84 open schools[2]

Neighbourhood deprivation

The district's 117 neighbourhoods (2021 LSOAs)[3] by their place in England's Index of Multiple Deprivation, in fifths of all neighbourhoods (1 in 5 of England's neighbourhoods is in each fifth):

most deprived 20%: 17 (15%)[4]
second 20%: 23 (20%)[4]
middle 20%: 27 (23%)[4]
fourth 20%: 33 (28%)[4]
least deprived 20%: 17 (15%)[4]

Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025 deciles grouped in pairs; it describes the neighbourhoods, not the pupils who attend the district's schools.

By kind of deprivation

The share of the district's neighbourhoods in each fifth of England's on each part of the index (the most deprived 20% are deciles 1 and 2, where 1 is the most deprived 10% of England's neighbourhoods):

Measure	Most deprived 20%	Second	Middle	Fourth	Least deprived 20%
Income	16%[4]	16%[4]	25%[4]	26%[4]	17%[4]
Employment	14%[4]	16%[4]	20%[4]	32%[4]	18%[4]
Education and skills	20%[4]	15%[4]	29%[4]	23%[4]	14%[4]
Health and disability	15%[4]	25%[4]	25%[4]	26%[4]	9%[4]
Crime	10%[4]	21%[4]	21%[4]	28%[4]	19%[4]
Housing and services	26%[4]	28%[4]	19%[4]	15%[4]	12%[4]
Living environment	22%[4]	9%[4]	15%[4]	20%[4]	33%[4]
Children in low-income families	15%[4]	20%[4]	25%[4]	21%[4]	20%[4]

English Indices of Deprivation 2025. Income: People on low incomes: out of work, or in work on low pay, and receiving benefits or tax credits. Employment: Working-age people out of work through unemployment, sickness, disability or caring. Education and skills: Low attainment and skills: children's results and staying on in education, adults' qualifications and English. Health and disability: Risk of early death and of a poorer quality of life through ill health or disability. Crime: Risk of personal and material victimisation: recorded violence, burglary, theft and criminal damage. Housing and services: Barriers to housing and services: distance to a GP, school, shop and post office, and housing that is unaffordable, overcrowded or hard to get. Living environment: The quality of the local environment: housing in poor condition or without central heating, air quality and road accidents. Children in low-income families: Children aged 0–15 living in income-deprived families (the IDACI, part of the income measure).

Census 2021

Shares in the district's neighbourhoods together, on census day (21 March 2021):

Households that own their home: 62.7% of 74,950 households[5] (England: 61.3%[5])
Adults with a degree or similar: 34.7% of 148,082 residents aged 16 and over[6] (England: 33.9%[6])
Adults in higher managerial and professional jobs: 13.8% of 148,119 residents aged 16 and over[7] (England: 13.2%[7])

Households that own their home: Households that own their home outright or with a mortgage or loan (shared ownership not included), of all households. Adults with a degree or similar: Residents aged 16 and over whose highest qualification is Level 4 or above (a degree, HND, NVQ level 4 or higher), of all residents aged 16 and over. Adults in higher managerial and professional jobs: Residents aged 16 and over in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations (NS-SEC classes 1–3, by their current or most recent job), of all residents aged 16 and over.

Secondary schools (15)

School	Ages	Headline results
Bedford Academy	11–18[2]	A8 44 2025/26[8] AL C+ 2024/25[9]
Bedford Free School	11–16[2]	A8 51 2025/26[8]
Biddenham International School and Sports College	11–18[2]	A8 40 2025/26[8] AL C 2024/25[9]
Castle Newnham School	4–16[2]	KS2 67% 2024/25[10]
Daubeney Academy	11–16[2]	A8 46 2025/26[8]
Goldington Academy	11–16[2]	A8 52 2025/26[8]
Kempston Academy	11–18[2]	A8 38 2025/26[8]
Kimberley 16 - 19 Stem College	16–19[2]	AL C+ 2024/25[9]
Lincroft Academy	11–16[2]	A8 50 2025/26[8]
Mark Rutherford School	11–18[2]	A8 41 2025/26[8] AL C- 2024/25[9]
Marston Vale Middle School	9–13[2]	KS2 54% 2024/25[10]
Sharnbrook Academy	11–18[2]	A8 48 2025/26[8] AL C+ 2024/25[9]
St Thomas More Catholic School	11–18[2]	A8 41 2025/26[8] AL C- 2024/25[9]
Wixams Academy	11–19[2]	A8 44 2025/26[8] AL C- 2024/25[9]
Wootton Academy	11–19[2]	A8 45 2025/26[8]

Primary schools (54)

School	Ages	Headline results
Balliol Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 39% 2024/25[10]
Bedford Road Primary Academy	5–11[2]	KS2 46% 2024/25[10]
Brickhill Primary School	5–11[2]	KS2 57% 2024/25[10]
Broadmead Lower School	4–9[2]
Bromham CofE Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 74% 2024/25[10]
Camestone School	4–11[2]	KS2 48% 2024/25[10]
Carlton CofE Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 67% 2024/25[10]
Cauldwell School	4–11[2]	KS2 74% 2024/25[10]
Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 46% 2024/25[10]
Cotton End Forest School	2–11[2]	KS2 77% 2024/25[10]
Edith Cavell Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 58% 2024/25[10]
Eileen Wade Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 60% 2024/25[10]
Elstow School	4–11[2]	KS2 74% 2024/25[10]
Goldington Green Academy	2–11[2]	KS2 62% 2024/25[10]
Great Barford Church of England Primary Academy	3–11[2]	KS2 0% 2024/25[10]
Great Denham Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 72% 2024/25[10]
Great Ouse Primary Academy	3–11[2]	KS2 67% 2024/25[10]
Harrold Primary Academy	4–11[2]	KS2 81% 2024/25[10]
Hazeldene School	3–11[2]	KS2 75% 2024/25[10]
Kempston Rural Primary School	5–11[2]	KS2 67% 2024/25[10]
King's Oak Primary School	1–11[2]	KS2 61% 2024/25[10]
Kymbrook Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 75% 2024/25[10]
Lakeview School	3–11[2]
Livingstone Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 49% 2024/25[10]
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 55% 2024/25[10]
Oakley Primary Academy	4–11[2]	KS2 63% 2024/25[10]
Pinchmill Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 29% 2024/25[10]
Priory Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 50% 2024/25[10]
Putnoe Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 57% 2024/25[10]
Queen's Park Academy	2–11[2]	KS2 61% 2024/25[10]
Ravensden CofE Primary Academy	2–11[2]	KS2 9% 2024/25[10]
Renhold VC Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 43% 2024/25[10]
Riseley CofE Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 56% 2024/25[10]
Roxton Church of England Academy	3–11[2]	KS2 27% 2024/25[10]
Scott Primary School & Nursery	3–11[2]	KS2 59% 2024/25[10]
Shackleton Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 54% 2024/25[10]
Sharnbrook Primary	3–11[2]	KS2 70% 2024/25[10]
Sheerhatch Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 50% 2024/25[10]
Shortstown Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 60% 2024/25[10]
Springfield Primary School	4–11[2]	KS2 51% 2024/25[10]
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School	3–11[2]	KS2 44% 2024/25[10]
St James' CofE Academy	5–11[2]	KS2 54% 2024/25[10]
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 49% 2024/25[10]
St Lawrence Church of England Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 68% 2024/25[10]
The Hills Academy	3–11[2]	KS2 63% 2024/25[10]
Thurleigh Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 50% 2024/25[10]
Turvey Primary School	5–11[2]	KS2 71% 2024/25[10]
Ursula Taylor Church of England School	4–11[2]	KS2 35% 2024/25[10]
Westfield Primary School	3–11[2]	KS2 48% 2024/25[10]
Wilden CofE VA Primary School	2–11[2]	KS2 63% 2024/25[10]
Willow Grove Primary School	4–11[2]
Wilstead Primary School	4–11[2]
Wixams Tree Primary Academy	4–11[2]	KS2 60% 2024/25[10]
Wootton Primary School	3–11[2]

Independent schools (7)

School	Ages	Headline results
Bedford Girls' School	7–18[2]	AL B 2024/25[9]
Bedford Greenacre Independent School	0–18[2]	AL C+ 2024/25[9]
Bedford Modern School	7–18[2]	AL B+ 2024/25[9]
Bedford School	7–19[2]	AL B+ 2024/25[9]
KWS School	11–18[2]
Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School	0–7[2]
Polam School	1–9[2]

Special schools and alternative provision (6)

School	Ages	Headline results
Cambian Walnut Tree Lodge School	7–19[2]
Grange Academy	5–18[2]
Greys Education Centre	5–16[2]
Ridgeway School	2–19[2]
Rivertree Free School	2–19[2]
St John's School	2–19[2]

Nursery schools (2)

School	Ages	Headline results
Cherry Trees Nursery School	2–5[2]
Peter Pan Nursery School	2–5[2]

Sources

Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: LSOA (2021) to Electoral Ward (2026) to LAD (2026) Best Fit Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-07. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation. Period 2025. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: Census 2021: TS054 Tenure. Period 2021-03-21, final, published 2023-01-06. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: Census 2021: TS067 Highest level of qualification. Period 2021-03-21, final, published 2023-01-10. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: Census 2021: TS062 NS-SeC. Period 2021-03-21, final, published 2022-12-08. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.