To provide: a rubber composition for tread, capable of achieving high abrasion resistance without deteriorating rolling resistance; the tread; and a tire.

A rubber composition for tread contains 30 to 100 pts.mass of silica having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area by BET method of 50 to 500 m²/g, based on 100 pts.mass of a rubber composition that contains: 20 to 30 mass% of carboxyl-modified acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber obtained by copolymerizing a carboxyl group-containing vinyl monomer, acrylonitrile, and butadiene with one another; and 70 to 80 mass% of at least one of a natural rubber and a styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber. The rubber composition for tread is produced by performing vulcanization with sulfur.