This London private school is officially the best in the UK, according to the Sunday Times

If you keep up with what’s going on in the world of secondary education, you’ll start to notice a trend: a lot of the best schools in the country are in London. Like, almost all of them. So, it’s no surprise that the Sunday Times’ 2025 Parent Power Guide table places a London school at the top once again.

The top-placing London school wasn’t just named the Sunday Times’ Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence – it also came out on top of the national ratings. That’s right, it beat every other private, grammar and comprehensive school in the country. 

The school in question is St Paul’s Girls School, which also came 10th in Which?’s ranking of the schools which sent the most students to Oxbridge. St Paul’s Girls has had a pretty successful year, all things considered.

More from the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025:
📚 The UK’s top 10 comprehensive state secondary schools for 2025
🇬🇧 London’s best comprehensive state secondary school has been crowned

According to the Sunday Times, single-sex schools broadly outperformed co-ed ones, at least at the very top of the list, so it makes sense that a girls’ school has taken the crown. On top of that, the newspapeer notes that ‘London and the south-east continue to dominate’ the rankings. This is pretty plain to see; eight of the top 10 schools are based within the Big Smoke.

St Paul’s Girls is a day school only, with tuition for sixth form students sitting at a hefty £31,593 per student per year. For the boys, however, boarding is an option, and those who want to do so can expect to pay £51,129 per year for the privilege. That’s pretty high for a room-share, even in the centre of London.

The State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence was also in London, with the title going to the Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead, which came in ninth overall. It was one of only nine state schools in the top 50, and is also only for girls. The girls are really outperforming this year. Ball’s in your court, Eton (which came 28th overall). 

You can have a look at the rest of the Sunday Times Parent Power 2025 league table here, or have a read of our rundown of the nation’s best private schools according to the Sunday Times here. 

Overall, the takeaway is clear: if you want your kids to be guaranteed a great education, spend a few grand and move to London. Simple as that!

ICYMI: City Hall is getting ‘modernised’ with plant-covered balconies, shops and restaurants.

Could a 3,400-mile, £15 trillion tunnel link London and New York?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox