East Sussex schools in numbers
How East Sussex's 217 schools compare with South 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).
Schools217open, all types
Pupils71,009on roll
Primary schools147
Secondary schools27
Who the pupils are
| Measure | East Sussex | South East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 185 schools | 24.6% | 21.8% | 26.3% | 59thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 186 schools | 24.9% | 22.2% | 27.1% | 55thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 185 schools | 7.5% | 15.7% | 18.6% | 134thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 182 schools | 14.3% | 13.8% | 14.5% | 82ndof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 182 schools | 14.2% | 12.9% | 11.6% | 32ndof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | East Sussex | South East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 165 schools | 25.5 | 25.8 | 25.0 | 85thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 165 schools | 12.7% | 12.7% | 10.6% | 116thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 182 schools | 18.4 | 19.0 | 19.0 | 46thof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 171 schools | 16.9% | 15.3% | 15.0% | 119thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 182 schools | £51,317 | £50,407 | £51,377 | 62ndof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 169 schools | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 96thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | East Sussex | South East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 175 schools | 92.8% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 143rdof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 175 schools | 18.4% | 15.7% | 15.8% | 120thof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 173 schools | 8.7 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 117thof 151 |
Money
| Measure | East Sussex | South East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 169 schools | £8,363 | £8,689 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 169 schools | £4,077 | £4,055 | £4,229 | 91stof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 174 schools | 12.0% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 14thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 174 schools | 7.5% | 11.7% | 14.1% | 31stof 151 |
Results
| Measure | East Sussex | South East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 22 schools | 43.1% | 48.6% | 46.1% | 95thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 22 schools | 44.3 | 47.9 | 47.0 | 111thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 131 schools | 61.0% | 63.1% | 63.1% | 111thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 131 schools | 6.2% | 8.7% | 8.3% | 124thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | East Sussex | South East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 161 schools | 14% | 13% | 13% | 47thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 102 schools | 92% | 95% | 94% | 116thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 159 schools | 19% | 33% | 35% | 146thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 163 schools | 88.0% | 88.2% | 86.2% | 64thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 200 schools | 46% | 45% | 52% | 89thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 200 schools | 9.5% | 6.8% | 12.0% | 92ndof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
East SussexEngland
Since 2016: -2.1%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
East SussexEngland
Since 2019: +9.9%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
East SussexEngland
Since 2017: +2.3%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
East SussexEngland
Since 2016: +6.4%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
East SussexEngland
Since 2007: +6.5