County Durham schools in numbers
How County Durham's 275 schools compare with North East 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).
Schools275open, all types
Pupils73,624on roll
Primary schools208
Secondary schools32
Who the pupils are
| Measure | County Durham | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 260 schools | 33.1% | 32.9% | 26.3% | 111thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 248 schools | 34.1% | 34.5% | 27.1% | 110thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 260 schools | 4.8% | 9.1% | 18.6% | 145thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 256 schools | 17.3% | 16.0% | 14.5% | 11thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 256 schools | 7.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 146thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | County Durham | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 234 schools | 22.6 | 23.4 | 25.0 | 7thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 234 schools | 7.2% | 7.6% | 10.6% | 44thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 257 schools | 19.1 | 18.5 | 19.0 | 78thof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 248 schools | 12.8% | 12.5% | 15.0% | 27thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 248 schools | £52,361 | £51,780 | £51,377 | 40thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 232 schools | 5.7 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 141stof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | County Durham | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 239 schools | 93.9% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 51stof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 239 schools | 15.8% | 16.1% | 15.8% | 71stof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 240 schools | 5.8 | 10.6 | 7.0 | 61stof 151 |
Money
| Measure | County Durham | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 249 schools | £9,221 | £9,261 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 249 schools | £4,161 | £4,341 | £4,229 | 79thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 259 schools | 10.5% | 9.2% | 8.3% | 38thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 259 schools | 13.1% | 14.7% | 14.1% | 68thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | County Durham | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 30 schools | 43.5% | 43.2% | 46.1% | 92ndof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 30 schools | 46.6 | 44.9 | 47.0 | 70thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 184 schools | 62.1% | 64.3% | 63.1% | 96thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 184 schools | 8.3% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 71stof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | County Durham | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 226 schools | 12% | 13% | 13% | 79thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 168 schools | 94% | 96% | 94% | 91stof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 226 schools | 33% | 35% | 35% | 85thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 233 schools | 78.2% | 82.5% | 86.2% | 143rdof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 270 schools | 51% | 57% | 52% | 80thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 270 schools | 23.7% | 21.4% | 12.0% | 19thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
County DurhamEngland
Since 2016: -1.5%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
County DurhamEngland
Since 2019: +10.5%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
County DurhamEngland
Since 2017: +3.3%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
County DurhamEngland
Since 2016: -1.5%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
County DurhamEngland
Since 2007: +2.3