Seven schools have been dubbed "outstanding" for a third time in the annual report by England's education watchdog Ofsted.
Head teacher John King involves pupils in setting the curriculum
Of these, three are comprehensives, three are grammar schools and one is a junior school.
To attain the outstanding status, schools have to perform well in exams and be highly rated for qualities such as teaching and discipline.
A further 43 have had two mentions in annual reports, which started in 1993.
This year, 393 schools and colleges are listed as praised for being outstanding.
Ofsted said these had "done particularly well on virtually all fronts", or "achieved highly against the odds".
One of the seven schools to be mentioned as outstanding a third time is Gable Hall School, a comprehensive in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.
Its head teacher, John King, told the BBC News website that improving children's self-esteem was vital for success.
The school involves them in setting the curriculum and even has four pupils on its board of governors, although they do not vote.
Mr King said: "The area that we are in is pretty socially deprived. The key part of our job is raising children's aspirations.
"You have to show the children what's there to achieve and show them how to get through and support them."
The school's 14-year-olds choose one of three "pathways" - vocational, technical or academic - which can be combined.
Gable Hall, with 1,230 pupils aged 11 to 16, has recently become a specialist school, focusing on the performing arts.
Mr King said: "We chose performing arts because it helps improves pupils' self-esteem. This has an impact on the curriculum.
"The children should be involved at every stage in the running of their school. They have to become engaged."
Last summer, 76% of Gable Hall's final-year pupils gained five or more A* to C grades in GCSEs or equivalent. The national average for England was 53.7%.
The other comprehensives in the "magnificent seven" are The Downs School, Newbury, Berkshire, and Oxted School, Surrey.
The selective schools are: Henrietta Barnett, north London; Colyton Grammar School, Devon; and Heckmondwike Grammar School, West Yorkshire.
Woodlands Junior School in Tonbridge, Kent, is the only one listed for the primary sector.
Clicking the name of any school will take you to its most recent inspection report on the Ofsted website. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.