Private schools in Dorset
21 fee-paying schools are registered in Dorset: 14 mainstream and 7 special. 3 are single-sex. 11 take pupils to 18. Everything below is the Department for Education's register as it stands; fees, entrance tests and inspection reports live on each school's own site.
Weighing a state place instead? How far Dorset state schools admitted from, school by school →
Mainstream independent schools
| School | Ages | Pupils | Faith | On roll | How full |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryanston School Blandford Forum, DT11 0PX | 3 to 18 | Mixed | Church of England | 776 | 85% |
| Castle Court School | 2 to 13 | Mixed | Christian | 227 | 60% |
| Clayesmore School Blandford Forum, DT11 8LL | 2 to 19 | Mixed | Non-faith | 414 | 64% |
| Dumpton School Wimborne, BH21 7AF | 2 to 13 | Mixed | Non-faith | 338 | 91% |
| Hanford School Blandford Forum, DT11 8HN | 7 to 13 | Girls | Non-faith | 69 | 57% |
| Leweston School Sherborne, DT9 6EN | 2 to 19 | Mixed | Catholic | 577 | 80% |
| Milton Abbey School Blandford Forum, DT11 0BZ | 13 to 19 | Mixed | Christian | 190 | 73% |
| Port Regis Preparatory School Shaftesbury, SP7 9QA | 2 to 13 | Mixed | Church of England | 305 | 68% |
| Ringwood Waldorf School Ringwood, BH24 2NN | 2 to 19 | Mixed | Non-faith | 248 | 79% |
| Sherborne Preparatory School Sherborne, DT9 3NY | 3 to 14 | Mixed | Non-faith | 204 | 73% |
| Sherborne School Sherborne, DT9 3AP | 13 to 19 | Boys | Christian | 538 | 90% |
| Sherborne School for Girls Sherborne, DT9 3QN | 11 to 19 | Girls | Church of England | 456 | 89% |
| Sunninghill Preparatory School Dorchester, DT1 1EB | 2 to 13 | Mixed | Non-faith | 167 | 84% |
| Yarrells Preparatory School Poole, BH16 5EU | 0 to 11 | Mixed | Non-faith | 238 | 78% |
Independent special schools
| School | Ages | Pupils | Faith | On roll | How full |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbour House School | 6 to 18 | Mixed | Non-faith | 39 | 65% |
| Aurora Beeches School Wimborne, BH21 5RT | 11 to 16 | Mixed | Non-faith | 48 | 80% |
| Graduately Developing Futures Dorset, BH16 6DA | 6 to 14 | Mixed | Non-faith | 23 | 64% |
| Kingfisher School Weymouth, DT4 0JH | 6 to 16 | Mixed | Non-faith | 21 | 42% |
| Sheiling School Ringwood, BH24 2EB | 5 to 19 | Mixed | Non-faith | 43 | 78% |
| The Forum School Blandford Forum, DT11 0QS | 7 to 19 | Mixed | Non-faith | 31 | 47% |
| The Luccombe Hub Blandford Forum, DT11 0BD | 8 to 18 | Mixed | Non-faith | 26 | 87% |
What this list is, and is not
Source: the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register, which every school in England must keep current, refreshed here with each import. "How full" is pupils on roll against the school's stated capacity, where both are reported. The register carries no fees, no entrance requirements and no inspection grades for independent schools: those are on each school's own site and the Independent Schools Inspectorate's. A school missing here is not registered in Dorset, which for a school on a boundary can mean it is listed under the neighbouring council.
Choosing between a private place and a state one? The full property report puts every school near an address, state and independent, on one page with the house itself.