Private education comes with a certain cachet that speaks to status and financial standing, and the promise of future success. For parents looking for good private schools in London, this city offers a diverse array of fine learning centres. These facilities are famous for their academic excellence, rich histories, and comprehensive extracurricular programmes.
| 🏫School name | 💳Tuition/year | 📊GCSE / A-Levels A*-A | 🕵️♂️What you'll find |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Paul's School | day school: £33 975 boarding: £39 966 | 97% 97.70% | All-boys campus Strong academic showing Emphasis on extracurriculars: sports, technology, language and debate; arts and social clubs. |
| St Paul's Girls' School | day school: £35 751 boarding: £53 239 | 98% 98.50% | All-girls campus Sports, arts, language and debate; creative initiatives; social development and clubs. |
| Westminster School | day school: £44 247 boarding: £59 422 | 99.0% 89.0% | Co-educational starting in Sixth Form. Consistent, outstanding academic performance. Many enrichment programmes available. |
| King's College School (Wimbledon) | £31 449 | 98.1% 83% | Boys' school, co-educational after Sixth Form. A generous campus with many outdoor activities. International study opportunities. |
| North London Collegiate School | £30 650 | 96.5% 85% | Girls' only campus. Rigorous academic programmes balanced with many social and extracurricular offerings. |
| Godolphin & Latymer School | £33 678 | 92% 82.2% | All-girls' campus with a focus on personal development. Abundant extracurricular programmes balance the rigorous academic profile. |
| Latymer Upper School | £30 042 | 94% 81% | Co-educational day school with an excellent lineup of extracurricular programmes and top-notch learning facilities. |
| Wimbledon High School | £27 879 | 94% 81% | All-girls campus. Emphasis on personal development; a playful, engaging approach to learning. |
What to Know About Private Education in London
Upon examining the data1 to write this report, three facts jumped out.
We found far more information for private schools than we found for London-area grammar schools, state schools, all the school types included in this report series. This may represent the fact that private schools are more in number than other types of schools. Conversely, it could signal that private schools claim an outsized share of data collectors’ attention.
If the latter is the case, we might ask ourselves why. But that’s a question for another day and besides, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As remarkable as those findings were, we still have to start at the beginning. That, of course, is making the distinction between independent and private schools.
What's the Difference Between Independent and Private Schools?
Internet searches are full of questions revolving around these two types of school. Not just general queries or questions of the 'which ones are good' variety, either. It seems, based on search results, that people are genuinely confused about them. Here, we (hope to!) clear the matter up.
Private schools
- charge tuition
- not typically government funded
- do not follow the national curriculum
- run by private owners
- may be non-profit
- government grants may offset tuition
Independent schools
- charge tuition
- not government funded
- typically enhance the national curriculum
- run by a board of governors
- typically non-profit organisations
- tuition tends to be higher
Most people use 'private' and 'independent' interchangeably, which tends to mask these schools' contrasts. With their differences being so subtle, how can you choose which type of school is right for you?
Decide which type of school you want. You can refine your searches from there.
Good Private Schools in London: What to Consider
For years, studies have proven that private/independent education delivers substantial benefits2, including higher lifetime earnings potential and better social acceptance. So, it's no wonder why parents look for such opportunities for their learners. But what, exactly, should they look for?
Special educational needs (SEN) are another important consideration. If your student is learning with dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or a physical challenge, they may benefit more from one of London's dedicated SEN schools.
These thinking points help you refine what you're looking for in a private or independent school. They also help you navigate the troves of data available on the best private schools in London, England.
The Top School Guide details information on 96 private and independent schools.
Obviously, we’ve no need to rehash their findings3. Besides, were we to write a blurb about each of those educational facilities, this article would be miles long! So, here, we highlight the top institutions according to all the 2024 data we examined – not just that Guide’s data, and what makes them so great.
St Paul's Schools
The independent St Paul's offers a boys' school as well as a separate girls' learning facility, albeit with substantial differences.
St Paul's School
- Day and boarding school for boys
- (day school) tuition: £ 33,975/per year
- A-Level results: 97.70%
- Student groups: 7-18+
- Location: Lonsdale Road, London SW13 9JT
- Phone: 020 8748 9162
- Website: https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/
St Paul's Girls' School
- Day school only
- tuition: £ 35,751/year
- A-Level results: 98.50%
- Student groups: 11-18
- Location: Brook Green, Hammersmith, London W6 7BS
- Phone: 020 7603 2288
- Website: https://spgs.org/contact/contact-us/
The schools offer comparable extracurriculars, though they tend to be more gender targeted. Also, the girls' school has fewer students, just over 800. The boys' school boasts enrolments of 900+, which makes the girls' near-equal academic standing that much more impressive!
Westminster School
This private day and boarding school welcomes boys starting at age 13 and girls aged 16 and up. It's one of England's oldest schools, and one that consistently outperforms many of the best private schools in London.
Westminster School has the highest Oxbridge admissions rate of any UK school4.
Like all the best independent schools London, Westminster offers its pupils a dizzying array of personal development and enrichment activities. The list includes language study, sports, arts, including music, and tech and creative pursuits.
- 📍Location: 17 Dean's Yard London SW1P 3PF
- 📞Phone: 020 7963 1000
- 🌐Website: https://www.westminster.org.uk/
King's College School (Wimbledon)
Of the schools discussed so far, this private boys' day school claims the largest number of enrolments (1 500+ between Junior and Senior campuses).
Like Westminster, it is co-educational after sixth form. Thanks to its relatively young age, King's College is notable for its progressive education and global worldview.
With lots of room for sports and other outdoor activities, and plenty of extracurricular events, applicants to this school have much to look forward to.
However, it is the expansion into international education that is quickly becoming the school's major draw.
- 📍Location: Southside, Wimbledon Common, London. SW19 4TT
- 📞Phone: 020 8255 5300
- 🌐Website: https://www.kcs.org.uk/
North London Collegiate School
From its founding, this independent day school for girls has been a trailblazer.
It offers a rigorous academic programme, and balances those challenges with engaging extracurriculars. Students may take part in sports, arts (music, drama, dancing), and technology, including building robots.
This campus' rather small class sizes ensure that each pupil gets their fair share of attention.
Despite its rather large student body, girls aged 4 to 18 find the guidance and support they need as they grow into their potential. Associate campuses in Dubai, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam make enrolment here even more attractive.
- 📍Location: Canons Drive, Edgware, Middlesex, HA8 7RJ
- 📞Phone: 020 8952 0912
- 🌐Website: https://www.nlcs.org.uk/
Godolphin & Latymer School
By now, it should be clear that these private and independent schools bear little to no resemblance to even the best of London's comprehensive schools. Selective enrolment and a conditional relationship to the national curriculum are just two reasons why. This school adds another degree of separation.
Most schools make students' personal development a part of their mission. Godolphin and Latymer make it their whole mission, from which academic success follows.
To wit, this all-girls day school provides students with more than 90 clubs to choose from. That's on top of other extracurricular activities, which include sports, arts, technology, and community service.
- 📍Iffley Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 0PG
- 📞Phone: 020 8741 1936
- 🌐Website: https://www.godolphinandlatymer.com/contact-us/
Latymer Upper School
When Edward Latymer cast his vision on education, he didn't mess about.
His fledgling hope, to "educate eight poore boyes" has grown into an academic powerhouse. Not only does his initial bequest fund this school, but it also helps provide for the above-listed institution.
For all its success as one of the best private schools in London, it's not strayed far from its early London prep school aspirations.
This co-educational day school charges as low a tuition as possible to continue providing students with excellent academic facilities and all its top extracurricular programmes.
- 📍Location: King Street Hammersmith London W6 9LR
- 📞Phone: 020 8629 2024
- 🌐Website: https://www.latymer-upper.org/contact/
Wimbledon High School
Like all the best independent schools in London, Wimbledon excels in academic achievement. But this girls' day school takes a whole new spin on learning. Unlike London's best state schools, this campus has the latitude to make such moves.
This school's approach to education encourages creativity, curiosity, and resilience.
Its pastoral GROW programme focuses on personal development and wellbeing, giving learners the confidence to forge ahead, despite any mistakes one might make. In fact, the week-long GROW-fest aims to help students recognise and embrace their failures as growth vehicles, not confidence shakers. Perhaps that's why these students' academic results are so stellar!
- 📍Location: Mansel Road, London, SW19 4AB
- 📞Phone: 020 8971 0900
- 🌐Website: https://www.wimbledonhigh.gdst.net/contact/
The Best Private Schools in London: Further Reading
- “Best Private Schools in London | My Top Schools.” My Top Schools, 2025, www.mytopschools.co.uk/london-private-schools/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- Green, Francis. “Private Schools and Inequality.” Oxford Open Economics, vol. 3, no. Supplement_1, 17 July 2024, pp. i842–i849, academic.oup.com/ooec/article/3/Supplement_1/i842/7708089, https://doi.org/10.1093/ooec/odad036. Accessed 11 Dec. 2025.
- “The Best Schools in London | Top School Guide.” Top School Guide, 15 Dec. 2023, www.topschoolguide.com/uk/league-tables/schools-by-region/best-schools-in-london/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- Barradale, Greg. “These Are Officially the Private Schools Who Get the Most Students into Oxbridge.” The Tab, 10 Sept. 2020, archive.thetab.com/uk/2020/09/10/these-are-officially-the-private-schools-who-get-the-most-students-into-oxbridge-174560. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- Friends, Academy. “Independent Schools vs. Private Schools: What’s the Difference?” Friendsacademy.org, 2025, www.friendsacademy.org/blog/independent-schools-vs.-private-schools-whats-the-difference. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- Raj, Priya. “17 of the Best Private Schools in London.” Https://Www.independentschoolparent.com, Independent School Parent, 16 July 2025, www.independentschoolparent.com/school/london-schools/best-private-schools-london/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
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