Westminster School and St Paul’s School are widely regarded as two of the most academically successful independent schools in the United Kingdom. Both are historic London boys’ schools with very selective admissions and exceptionally strong examination outcomes. While their results are often similar, St Paul’s School sometimes edges ahead slightly in national league tables, although Westminster consistently produces outstanding academic performance.
At A level, Westminster School achieves extremely strong results. In recent cohorts around 87 percent of grades have been awarded at A* or A, with more than half of all grades being the top A* grade. Many pupils achieve multiple A* grades, and it is not uncommon for students to gain four or even five A* results in a single year group. The school also sends a large number of pupils to leading universities in the UK and overseas.
https://www.westminster.org.uk
St Paul’s School also produces exceptional A level results and frequently ranks among the very top schools in the country. In recent results around 59 percent of grades were awarded the top A* grade and more than 90 percent were A* or A. In some cohorts a large proportion of pupils achieved nothing below an A grade across all their subjects, demonstrating the very high academic level of the school’s intake.
https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk
At GCSE, Westminster School also achieves extremely high results. In one recent year around 77 percent of all GCSE grades were the top grade 9 and around 97 percent were grades 9–7. This means almost every result achieved by pupils falls within the highest grade band.
St Paul’s School also reports exceptional GCSE outcomes. Around 68 percent of grades are awarded the top grade 9, while more than 90 percent are in the 8 or 9 range and well over 95 percent fall within grades 9–7. These figures again show a very high concentration of top grades across the year group.
Both schools regularly appear near the top of national rankings for independent schools and send a large number of pupils to leading universities. A significant proportion of pupils from each school go on to Oxford or Cambridge each year, while others progress to highly competitive universities such as Imperial, UCL and top institutions in the United States.
One difference between the schools lies in their setting and character. Westminster School is located in central London next to Westminster Abbey and has a long academic tradition closely linked to the historic centre of the city. St Paul’s School is located in Barnes by the River Thames and is known for its strong academic culture and consistent performance at the very top of independent school rankings.
Overall, both Westminster School and St Paul’s School achieve exceptional examination results and are among the most academically successful schools in the UK. St Paul’s School often leads national rankings with slightly higher proportions of top grades, while Westminster School remains one of the most academically rigorous and prestigious schools in the country.
Educational Choices 