Darlington schools in numbers
How Darlington's 47 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).
Schools47open, all types
Pupils16,037on roll
Primary schools30
Secondary schools8
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Darlington | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 42 schools | 28.7% | 32.9% | 26.3% | 86thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 40 schools | 30.3% | 34.5% | 27.1% | 93rdof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 42 schools | 10.2% | 9.1% | 18.6% | 110thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 46 schools | 14.7% | 16.0% | 14.5% | 70thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 46 schools | 15.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 13thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Darlington | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 37 schools | 25.3 | 23.4 | 25.0 | 77thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 37 schools | 11.9% | 7.6% | 10.6% | 109thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 41 schools | 20.2 | 18.5 | 19.0 | 132ndof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 42 schools | 15.1% | 12.5% | 15.0% | 87thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 42 schools | £52,343 | £51,780 | £51,377 | 41stof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 40 schools | 5.6 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 140thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Darlington | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 39 schools | 93.8% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 71stof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 39 schools | 17.5% | 16.1% | 15.8% | 93rdof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 39 schools | 11.3 | 10.6 | 7.0 | 137thof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Darlington | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 39 schools | £8,873 | £9,261 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 39 schools | £4,120 | £4,341 | £4,229 | 86thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 42 schools | 10.3% | 9.2% | 8.3% | 41stof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 42 schools | 16.7% | 14.7% | 14.1% | 95thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Darlington | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 8 schools | 43.9% | 43.2% | 46.1% | 86thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 8 schools | 44.2 | 44.9 | 47.0 | 117thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 28 schools | 64.1% | 64.3% | 63.1% | 68thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 28 schools | 7.7% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 83rdof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Darlington | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 42 schools | 19% | 13% | 13% | 14thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 29 schools | 97% | 96% | 94% | 58thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 37 schools | 32% | 35% | 35% | 87thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 37 schools | 88.6% | 82.5% | 86.2% | 58thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 47 schools | 81% | 57% | 52% | 15thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 47 schools | 12.8% | 21.4% | 12.0% | 71stof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
DarlingtonEngland
Since 2016: -1.8%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
DarlingtonEngland
Since 2019: +7.2%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
DarlingtonEngland
Since 2017: -1.0%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
DarlingtonEngland
Since 2016: +5.0%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
DarlingtonEngland
Since 2007: +11.3