 Schools in Christchurch fall under the jurisdiction of Dorset County Council. From the 2008 General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results, Dorset was ranked 32nd out of 148 local authorities in England based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least five A * to C grades at GCSE level including maths and English. Twynham was the best performing school in Christchurch in 2009: 67 % of pupils gained five or more GCSEs at A * to C grade including maths and English compared to the national average of 49.8 %. Highcliffe achieved 62 % but the Grange School was less successful: only 40 % of pupils achieved five or more A * to C grade results. Twynham was also the best performing school for A-level results with an average score of 727.8 points per student, slightly below the national average of 739.3. Highcliffe School School students averaged 618.4 points and the Grange School 571.9 points.
