- Founded in 1596 by John Whitgift, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the school has been based at Haling Park — once the residence of Lord Howard of Effingham, admiral of the fleet that battled the Spanish Armada — since 1931. The weather vane on the roof depicts his flagship, the Ark Royal.
- The 45-acre parkland campus is home to peacocks, wallabies and flamingos; Sir David Attenborough opened the ponds and wildfowl enclosures in 2005.
- Every pupil who joins Whitgift in the First Form receives eight golf lessons from the PGA Professional Tim Trodd.
- Alumni are known as Old Whitgiftians. They include Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, and the TV presenter and JLS singer JB Gill.
A-level 2024 rank: 40=

Grade
%
A*
26.1
A
39.2
B
27.7
A*/A
65.3
A*-B
92.9
GCSE 2024 rank: 50

Grade
%
A*/9/8
68.5
A/7
17.6
A*/A/9/8/7
86.1
International baccalaureate 2024 rank: 16

Grade
%
Higher Level 7
25
Higher Level 6
46.3
Higher Level 5
23.5
Higher Level 7 and 6
71.3
Higher Level 7, 6 and 5
94.8
Diploma pass
100
Average IB points
37.4