Secondary schools in Pontefract
6 secondary schools in Pontefract, sorted by latest Ofsted grade. Grades come from two inspection systems; each school page states which, and the guide explains the difference. A grade shown with a year, like "Good (2019)", is the last one Ofsted published for that school and sorts below current grades. We don't invent rankings.
Pontefract in figures
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Pontefract first 1,253 times for 1,262 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 0.99 across the Wakefield authority's 18 schools. One of the 6 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.97 miles (Ark Carleton High School) to 3.29 miles (Ark The King's School).
Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.
- Ark The King's School
- Minsthorpe Community College
- Outwood Academy Hemsworth
- Ark Carleton High School
- St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy
- The Featherstone Academy
See how heavily each school in Pontefract was applied to →
Primary schools in Pontefract →
Browse by authority: Wakefield · compare schools side by side · the map. School data: DfE & Ofsted, Open Government Licence v3.0.