The schools around Higham are good, and the harder problem is getting into them. Nine in ten graded Kent schools are rated good or better. The village has its own primary, a short walk from most doors. Secondary school means a bus or a lift. The quality isn't in doubt, only the admissions letter.
For primary, there are two state primaries in the area, and they average about 103 in the end-of-primary maths tests. Higham Primary School is the one carrying the village's name, and for most families it's about a 13-minute walk. Beyond the parish, Shorne Church of England Primary School and Cobham Primary School are among the nearby options that parents compare. With only two schools behind that maths average, one strong year group can shift it, so treat it as a snapshot rather than a settled reputation.
Ofsted's grades are counted across the whole of Kent, not just this corner of it. Of the 245 settings in the county holding a published overall grade, 221 are good or better. That's roughly nine in ten, with 38 rated outstanding. At the other end, 21 require improvement and 3 are inadequate. A further 255 settings carry no published grade yet, which says nothing about their quality in either direction. The county-wide figure tells you the odds are good. It doesn't tell you about any particular classroom, and the parents who read it as a guarantee tend to find that out at the first parents' evening.
Secondary is where the car comes out. The nearest secondary is about 42 minutes on foot and 26 by public transport, so the walk to school ends after year six. Gravesend Grammar School and Thamesview School are both on the nearby list, and families here tend to split into those who plan around a grammar place and those who plan around Thamesview. Both groups have the same bus timetable to deal with, and neither gets to complain about it with much sympathy.
None of this comes with a guarantee. Living in Higham doesn't secure a place at any named school. Admissions follow each school's published criteria, and the only way to know where a particular house sits is to check the council's admissions information for the year you're applying, not the estate agent's description. "Close to good schools" is a sentence that has never once been legally binding.
The schools are one of Higham's real strengths: a village primary on the doorstep, a county where good or better is the norm, and a secondary choice worth arguing over at the dinner table. The only weak point is the journey once your children reach secondary age.