England's schools in numbers

Every figure below comes from the same official data as the school pages, averaged across every open state school in England (independent schools are counted but left out of the averages). Trends go back as far as each set of data does. Regional and council comparisons use the latest year. Updated 13 September 2026.

Schools and pupils

Schools24,820open, all types

Pupils8,841,002on roll at the last census

Academies and free schools52%of state schools

Faith schools29%of state schools

Independent schools6%of all schools

Free breakfast clubs12%of state schools

Trend

Average pupils per state school

2016 to 2026. January census, schools with data

AllPrimarySecondary

Since 2016: -4

Who the pupils are

Pupils from low-income families26.3%January 2026, +10.3 pts since 2019Eligible for free school meals, January census

Pupils attracting pupil premium27.1%nowDeprivation pupil premium eligibility

Pupils learning English18.6%January 2026, +3.3 pts since 2016First language other than English

Pupils with SEN support14.5%January 2025, +2.6 pts since 2016SEN support, January census

Pupils with an EHC plan11.6%January 2025, +3.8 pts since 2016Education, health and care plan

Classrooms and teachers

Average class size25.0January 2026One-teacher classes, January census

Classes with more than 30 pupils10.6%January 2026Share of one-teacher classes with 31 or more

Pupils per teacher19.0January 2026, +0.1 since 2011Pupil to teacher ratio

Teachers leaving each year15.0%2024/25, +0.6 pts since 2011Teacher turnover

Average teacher pay£51,377January 2026, +14,612 since 2011Mean full-time equivalent salary

Sick days per teacher4.72024/25, +0.9 since 2010Sickness absence days per teacher

Attendance and behaviour

Attendance93.8%2024/25, -1.8 pts since 2016100 minus overall absence

Persistently absent pupils15.8%2024/25, +5.9 pts since 2016Missed 10% or more of sessions

Suspensions per 100 pupils7.02024/25, +4.3 since 2007Suspension rate

Permanent exclusions9,6612024/25, +8,177 since 2007Total across schools with data

Money

Spend per pupil£9,2732024/25Total expenditure per pupil

Spent on teachers per pupil£4,2292024/25Teaching staff cost per pupil

Reserves as a share of income8.3%2024/25Revenue reserve / total income

Schools in deficit14.1%2024/25Share with a negative revenue reserve

Results

Strong pass in English and maths GCSE46.1%2024/25, +0.7 pts since 2017Grade 5+ in English and maths

Average GCSE score47.02024/25, -5.0 since 2016Attainment 8

Entered for the EBacc41.0%2024/25, -1.4 pts since 2016EBacc entry

Reached the expected level at 1163.1%2024/25, +7.3 pts since 2016KS2 reading, writing and maths expected standard

Reached the higher level at 118.3%2024/25, +2.6 pts since 2016KS2 higher standard

Ofsted and places

Inspected under the new report cards13%nowShare whose latest inspection is a report card

Good or outstanding (old grades)94%nowShare of old-style grades that are good or better

Years since last inspection2.7nowAverage age of the latest inspection

Places taken86.2%2024/25, -4.1 pts since 2010Pupils as a share of capacity

Scored above similar schools35%nowShare of scored schools in the top two bands

Explore further

Trends by topicone page per measure, with every region and council Ofsted report cards trackerthe new framework month by month Grammar schoolshow many, where, and how they do Faith schoolsby denomination, with results Single-sex schoolsboys' and girls' schools compared GCSE subjectsentries and grades across England A level subjectsentries and grades across England The four nationsEngland, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland compared Data qualitywhat is missing, suppressed or old

Council report cards

Every council's headline numbers against England, with ranks.

Barking and Dagenham Barnet Barnsley Bath and North East Somerset Bedford Bexley BFPO Overseas Establishments Birmingham Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bolton Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Bracknell Forest Bradford Brent Brighton and Hove Bristol, City of Bromley Buckinghamshire Bury Calderdale Cambridgeshire Camden Central Bedfordshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cornwall County Durham Coventry Croydon Cumberland Darlington Derby Derbyshire Devon Does not apply Doncaster Dorset Dudley Ealing East Riding of Yorkshire East Sussex Enfield Essex Fieldwork Overseas Establishments Gateshead Gloucestershire Greenwich Hackney Halton Hammersmith and Fulham Hampshire Haringey Harrow Hartlepool Havering Herefordshire, County of Hertfordshire Hillingdon Hounslow Isle of Wight Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kent Kingston upon Hull, City of Kingston upon Thames Kirklees Knowsley Lambeth Lancashire Leeds Leicester Leicestershire Lewisham Lincolnshire Liverpool Luton Manchester Medway Merton Middlesbrough Milton Keynes Newcastle upon Tyne Newham Norfolk North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Northamptonshire North Somerset North Tyneside North Yorkshire Northumberland Nottingham Nottinghamshire Oldham Oxfordshire Peterborough Plymouth Portsmouth Reading Redbridge Redcar and Cleveland Richmond upon Thames Rochdale Rotherham Rutland Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Shropshire Slough Solihull Somerset South Gloucestershire South Tyneside Southampton Southend-on-Sea Southwark St. Helens Staffordshire Stockport Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Suffolk Sunderland Surrey Sutton Swindon Tameside Telford and Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Tower Hamlets Trafford Wakefield Walsall Waltham Forest Wandsworth Warrington Warwickshire West Berkshire West Northamptonshire West Sussex Westminster Westmorland and Furness Wigan Wiltshire Windsor and Maidenhead Wirral Wokingham Wolverhampton Worcestershire York