Kent runs one of the largest selective school systems in England, with more than 30 grammar schools and a single entrance test, the Kent Test, sat by tens of thousands of children every September. A handful of those grammars rank among the best schools in the country, free of charge and open to any child who qualifies. Below are our top 10, ranked on a blend of exam results, Ofsted and how admission works. For each one you will find the things that actually help you plan: who it is for, the exam it sets, how places are allocated, and why it earns its place. We never run a school down, and the "best" school is always the one that fits your child.
- Dartford Grammar School topped the 2025 Kent GCSE table, with The Judd School and Tonbridge Grammar the other consistent front-runners.
- All ten are free, state-funded schools - only entry is selective, by the Kent Test sat at the start of Year 6.
- The Kent Test covers English, Maths and reasoning (verbal and non-verbal), so every Kent applicant needs all four skills.
- The most competitive grammars (Judd, Skinners', Tonbridge, both Dartfords) need a very high score and ring-fence most places for a West Kent area, with a smaller block on score alone; other grammars rank qualified children mainly by distance.
- A 332 aggregate was the 2025 bar to be assessed grammar-suitable - it makes a child eligible, not guaranteed a place.
How we ranked them
There is no single official league table of grammar schools, so we used a transparent blend of three things: the most recent published exam results (2025 GCSE grades 9–7 and grade 5+ passes, plus A-level or IB outcomes), the latest Ofsted inspection rating, and how admission works at each school. We also weighed consistency and reputation over time, and made sure the list spreads across the county rather than leaning only on the West Kent names.
Two honest caveats. First, Progress 8 is not published for 2023–2025 (Year 6 SATs were cancelled in the pandemic, so there is no baseline), so we have deliberately not used it. Second, the schools here are all excellent - the order separates outstanding from outstanding, and any of them would be a superb choice. Treat the figures as a 2025/2026 snapshot and always confirm the latest on each school's own website before you apply. Pip is not affiliated with any school or exam board.
How the Kent Test works
Kent's grammars share one entrance test, the Kent Test (officially the PESE, the Procedure for Entrance to Secondary Education), run by Kent County Council. It is sat at the very start of Year 6, in early-to-mid September, in two multiple-choice papers - one covering English and Maths, one covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning - plus a separate writing task that is normally only used in borderline cases. You must register your child for the test with the council, separately from the school application, by roughly the start of July before Year 6, and confirm the exact date each year on the Kent County Council website. Our full Kent Test guide walks through the format and timeline in detail.
Each child gets three age-standardised scores, for English, Maths and reasoning, and an aggregate. For 2025 entry the aggregate threshold to be assessed grammar-suitable was 332, with no element below about 106 (the per-element minimum moves a point or two each year). The crucial thing to understand is that 332 is not a pass mark for a place. At a standard Kent grammar, once your child has met the threshold, places at an oversubscribed school go by oversubscription criteria where home-to-school distance is usually decisive. At the most competitive grammars (Judd, The Skinners', Tonbridge Grammar and the two Dartford grammars) the effective cut-off is far above 332, and each ring-fences most places for a West Kent priority area while keeping a smaller block on score alone that is open to any address. Many Kent grammars also ring-fence places for out-of-county applicants, so families in Bexley, Bromley, Medway and East Sussex regularly apply.
The Kent Test rewards a strong vocabulary
The English paper and the verbal reasoning section both lean heavily on the words a child knows. Pip's free vocabulary flashcards turn the words pupils are expected to know in Years 4 to 6 into a quick, gamified daily habit, with kid-friendly meanings, example sentences and a tap-to-hear guide for each word.
Try the vocabulary flashcards 🚀
1Dartford Grammar School
- Who it's forBoys' grammar (co-ed sixth form), day · Dartford, north-west Kent (DA1)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsHigh bar plus priority area - ranks qualified boys by Kent Test score within its Dartford zones, with a smaller all-address block
- Results & OfstedHighest GCSE results in Kent in 2025 (~99% grade 5+ in English & Maths); Ofsted Outstanding (2022)
Dartford Grammar sits top of the Kent league table on the latest GCSE results and is unusual among state schools in running the International Baccalaureate Diploma in its sixth form rather than A-levels, with a strong modern-languages tradition in which every pupil studies more than one language. It needs a high Kent Test score and reserves most places for a Dartford-area priority zone with a smaller all-address block, so high-scoring boys from across north-west Kent and the London border compete hard for the open places too.
2The Judd School
- Who it's forBoys' grammar (girls in sixth form), day · Tonbridge, West Kent (TN9)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsSuper-selective - an inner block plus 23 outer-area places, boys ranked by score (distance as tie-break)
- Results & OfstedConsistently top two or three at GCSE and A-level; Ofsted Outstanding
Founded in 1888 by the Worshipful Company of Skinners, Judd is one of the most sought-after boys' grammars in the county and a perennial top-three finisher in the Kent tables, with a powerful STEM and Oxbridge record and a strong sporting tradition in rugby and cross-country. It ranks applicants on Kent Test score rather than distance, and ring-fences a block of outer-area places for children who live further away, including out-of-county.
3Tonbridge Grammar School
- Who it's forGirls' grammar (co-ed sixth form), day · Tonbridge, West Kent (TN9)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsHigh bar plus priority area - score within its priority zone, plus a smaller all-address block
- Results & OfstedOfsted Outstanding; all-IB sixth form with results well above the world average
Tonbridge Grammar is one of the highest-achieving girls' grammars in Kent and, like Dartford, runs the IB Diploma for its entire sixth form rather than A-levels, giving it an international, breadth-focused profile, with a co-educational sixth form. It needs a high score, with the effective entry bar comfortably above the county threshold, and reserves most places for a priority area covering Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks, plus a smaller block open to any address.
4The Skinners' School
- Who it's forBoys' grammar (girls in sixth form), day · Tunbridge Wells, West Kent (TN4)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsSuper-selective with a raised bar - boys must score 40 points above the county threshold, then places fill by area and distance
- Results & OfstedScience & maths specialism; a top-handful Kent grammar at GCSE; Ofsted Good (2021, Outstanding for personal development)
Founded in 1887 by the Skinners' Company, Skinners' is one of West Kent's strongest boys' grammars, with a science and mathematics specialism and a famous house and music tradition. Its admissions are distinctive: boys must clear the county threshold by a further 40 points before places are allocated by area and straight-line distance, which makes it the clearest example in Kent of a raised super-selective bar.
5Dartford Grammar School for Girls
- Who it's forGirls' grammar, day · Dartford, north-west Kent (DA1)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsHigh bar plus priority area - score within its priority zone, plus a smaller all-address block
- Results & OfstedOne of the county's strongest girls' A-level providers; Ofsted Outstanding (last full graded inspection 2016)
The sister school to Dartford Grammar, DGGS has been educating girls since 1904 and is one of the county's strongest girls' grammars, with a notable science and STEM record. Like its brother school it needs a high Kent Test score and reserves most places for a Dartford-area priority zone with a smaller all-address block, drawing able girls from across north-west Kent and the neighbouring London boroughs.
6Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
- Who it's forGirls' grammar, day · Tunbridge Wells, West Kent (TN4)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsStandard Kent-Test admission - qualified girls ranked by oversubscription criteria including distance
- Results & OfstedOfsted Outstanding (2023); a strong all-round GCSE and A-level record
TWGGS is a well-regarded Tunbridge Wells girls' grammar, rated Outstanding at its recent 2023 inspection, with a strong pastoral and wellbeing ethos alongside its academic record. Unlike the super-selectives in the same town, it admits qualified girls using oversubscription criteria where home-to-school distance matters, so families who live nearby have a realistic route in.
7Highworth Grammar School
- Who it's forGirls' grammar (boys in sixth form), day · Ashford, mid/east Kent (TN24)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsStandard Kent-Test admission - distance-based oversubscription criteria
- Results & OfstedOfsted Outstanding (January 2025); the strongest grammar in the Ashford area
A large, high-performing grammar of more than 1,500 students, Highworth was re-rated Outstanding in January 2025 and is the leading grammar in the Ashford area, a useful counterweight to the West-Kent-heavy top tier. It admits on the standard Kent Test with distance-based criteria, and boys join for the sixth form.
8Weald of Kent Grammar School
- Who it's forGirls' grammar (co-ed sixth form), day · Tonbridge, plus a Sevenoaks annexe, West Kent
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsStandard Kent-Test admission - distance-based oversubscription criteria
- Results & OfstedOfsted Good (October 2024, all categories), a clear step up from its previous inspection
Weald of Kent is a large girls' grammar best known for opening England's first government-approved grammar "annexe" in Sevenoaks in 2017, the first new grammar-school site in the country in decades. Its 2024 inspection rated it Good across the board, a clear step up, and its sixth form is co-educational. Admission follows the standard Kent Test with distance criteria.
9Maidstone Grammar School
- Who it's forBoys' grammar (girls in sixth form), day · Maidstone, mid Kent (ME15)
- Entrance examKent Test: English, Maths, verbal & non-verbal reasoning
- AdmissionsStandard Kent-Test admission with a defined parish catchment, then distance
- Results & OfstedA solid grammar-level record; Ofsted Good
One of the oldest schools in Kent, founded by Royal Charter in 1549, Maidstone Grammar is the county town's long-established boys' grammar, with a strong music and combined-cadet tradition. Admission uses the Kent Test with priority for boys in a defined set of parishes before distance, and girls join for the sixth form.
10Cranbrook School
- Who it's forCo-educational grammar, day & boarding · Cranbrook, the Weald (TN17)
- Entrance examYear 7 day = Kent Test; Year 9 entry (incl. boarders) = the school's own English, Maths & non-verbal reasoning tests
- AdmissionsStandard Kent-Test admission with a local Priority Area; boarding begins in Year 9
- Results & OfstedOfsted Good (2022), with boarding provision rated Outstanding
Cranbrook is the only state grammar in Kent to offer boarding, set in a historic market town and dating back to 1518. Year 7 day places are allocated on the Kent Test with priority for a local area, while boarding begins in Year 9 via the school's own entrance tests. As state boarding there are no tuition fees, with boarding charged at cost, which makes it a genuinely unusual option for families who want grammar academics with boarding.
The Kent Test scores English, Maths and reasoning, so every applicant needs all four. Pip builds them with unlimited, exam-style questions and free downloadable papers - Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Reading our Kent Test guide and how to choose which schools to apply to helps you target preparation.
One free app for every school on this list
The Kent Test scores all four of these skills. Pip turns them into five calm minutes a day - adaptive, exam-style, and genuinely free.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best grammar school in Kent?+
By the most recent GCSE results, Dartford Grammar School topped the Kent table in 2025, with The Judd School and Tonbridge Grammar School the other schools consistently at the very top. The "best" school, though, is the one that fits your child - weigh culture, distance, admissions rules and your child's strengths too.
How do you get into a grammar school in Kent?+
Register your child for the Kent Test directly with Kent County Council by the deadline (around the start of July before Year 6), sit the test in September of Year 6, then name the schools on the Kent secondary application form by 31 October. Meeting the county threshold makes a child eligible for a grammar place; super-selective schools then rank applicants on their actual score. Our Kent Test guide has the full timeline.
What score do you need to pass the Kent Test?+
For 2025 entry the threshold to be assessed as suitable for grammar school was an aggregate of 332 across the three standardised scores, with no single element below about 106 (the per-element minimum varies slightly by year). Meeting 332 only makes a child eligible, though. Super-selective schools such as Judd, The Skinners' and Dartford Grammar require scores well above it.
Are Kent grammar schools free?+
Yes. Kent grammar schools are state-funded and free to attend; only admission is selective, decided by the Kent Test rather than by fees. The one exception is boarding at Cranbrook School, which is free for tuition but charges boarding fees at cost.
What is a super-selective grammar school in Kent?+
It is a loose label for the most competitive grammars, where the score needed sits well above the county threshold. In Kent it usually means Judd, The Skinners', Tonbridge Grammar and the two Dartford grammars. In strict terms these are not purely super-selective: each one ring-fences most places for a West Kent priority area, where home-to-school distance still counts, and offers a smaller block on score alone that is open to any address. So a very high score helps everywhere and can win an open place from further afield, but for most seats living in the priority area matters. A few other Kent grammars rank almost entirely by distance once a child qualifies.
Can children from outside Kent apply to Kent grammar schools?+
Yes. Out-of-county children, for example from Bexley, Bromley, Medway or East Sussex, can register and sit the Kent Test, often on a slightly later date, and many Kent grammars ring-fence outer-area places for applicants from outside the immediate catchment. It is a real, intended route, not a loophole. Our Kent grammar catchment guide shows each school's catchment and which ones ring-fence outer-area places.
Arielle handles SEO and AEO growth at Pip, with over 10 years in the digital marketing space working with brands and founding her own projects.