Bolton schools in numbers
How Bolton's 145 schools compare with North West and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).
Schools145open, all types
Pupils56,846on roll
Primary schools98
Secondary schools20
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Bolton | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 129 schools | 28.1% | 29.0% | 26.3% | 82ndof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 126 schools | 30.0% | 29.8% | 27.1% | 86thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 129 schools | 29.4% | 16.7% | 18.6% | 45thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 126 schools | 13.5% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 102ndof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 126 schools | 11.1% | 12.7% | 11.6% | 91stof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Bolton | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 114 schools | 26.9 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 149thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 114 schools | 16.4% | 11.5% | 10.6% | 145thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 124 schools | 19.9 | 19.1 | 19.0 | 126thof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 120 schools | 14.3% | 13.5% | 15.0% | 65thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 124 schools | £51,115 | £51,081 | £51,377 | 72ndof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 118 schools | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 15thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Bolton | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 119 schools | 93.8% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 69thof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 119 schools | 16.2% | 15.9% | 15.8% | 78thof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 119 schools | 9.0 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 120thof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Bolton | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 121 schools | £8,753 | £9,291 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 121 schools | £3,994 | £4,183 | £4,229 | 101stof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 128 schools | 10.0% | 6.6% | 8.3% | 44thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 128 schools | 8.6% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 37thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Bolton | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 19 schools | 45.4% | 42.3% | 46.1% | 72ndof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 19 schools | 46.7 | 45.3 | 47.0 | 64thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 88 schools | 65.2% | 61.3% | 63.1% | 55thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 88 schools | 9.7% | 7.1% | 8.3% | 45thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Bolton | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 120 schools | 18% | 15% | 13% | 18thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 75 schools | 97% | 93% | 94% | 43rdof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 112 schools | 38% | 32% | 35% | 58thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 114 schools | 96.5% | 88.5% | 86.2% | 2ndof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 136 schools | 40% | 38% | 52% | 107thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 136 schools | 19.1% | 14.6% | 12.0% | 37thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
BoltonEngland
Since 2016: -1.8%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
BoltonEngland
Since 2019: +9.5%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
BoltonEngland
Since 2017: +5.9%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
BoltonEngland
Since 2016: +7.9%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
BoltonEngland
Since 2007: +6.4