Birmingham brings together 8 grammar schools in Birmingham, West Midlands. Much of the area sits within the West Midlands route, so shared testing is a big part of the admissions picture alongside each school's own rules.
Shared test guide
The West Midlands guide explains the test, dates, and papers these schools share. It is the quickest way to see the shared exam details in one place.
School list
The best grammar schools in Birmingham on this page are ordered by GCSE results. You can also compare school type, Ofsted, shared test routes, and how hard it is to get a place.
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Vicarage Road, Kings Heath
Overall GCSE score:84.3
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 5.7 applicants per place
Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, Jockey Road
Overall GCSE score:80.1
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 6.5 applicants per place
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Lichfield Road
Overall GCSE score:74.6
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 5.9 applicants per place
King Edward VI Five Ways School, Scotland Lane, Bartley Green
Overall GCSE score:74.3
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 7.7 applicants per place
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Vicarage Road, Kings Heath
Overall GCSE score:72.1
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 7.2 applicants per place
King Edward VI Handsworth School, Rose Hill Road
Overall GCSE score:69.7
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 5.6 applicants per place
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, Grove Lane, Handsworth
Overall GCSE score:63.4
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 7.4 applicants per place
King Edward VI Aston School, Frederick Road, Aston
Overall GCSE score:61.5
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 7.9 applicants per place
Birmingham overview
8 grammar schools sit close together in Birmingham, West Midlands, so Birmingham feels more local and easier to read than a large county-wide area.
What stands out
Birmingham has eight grammar schools in this ranking and they form one of England's best-known city-based selective groups.
What parents notice
The city combines boys', girls', and co-educational options, with Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield usually treated as one connected grammar-school area.
Area shape
Birmingham is a compact local area. The main differences here are school type, test route, catchment, and how competitive each school is.
Local school cluster
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, and 5 more schools sit close together in one compact cluster. Families here see boys', girls', and co-ed options.
School mix
The area includes boys' schools, girls' schools, and one co-ed option.
Shared route
The schools here all sit in the West Midlands route, so the shared exam picture is easier to follow than in areas where every school tests differently.
Admissions
Distance and catchment rules matter at every school here. These schools are very competitive.
FAQ
Birmingham's grammar-school group includes the Camp Hill pair, King Edward VI Five Ways, King Edward VI Aston School, Handsworth Grammar School, Handsworth School, Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls.
Yes. Birmingham includes boys' schools, girls' schools, and one well-known mixed option in King Edward VI Five Ways.
Compared with counties such as Kent, Birmingham is relatively compact. The schools sit across Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, but families often research them together as one metropolitan selective cluster.
Birmingham stands out because several long-established grammar schools sit within one connected urban area, giving families a strong selective group without needing to compare an entire county.