Manchester schools in numbers
How Manchester's 215 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).
Schools215open, all types
Pupils96,844on roll
Primary schools139
Secondary schools32
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Manchester | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 189 schools | 49.7% | 29.0% | 26.3% | 151stof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 182 schools | 51.2% | 29.8% | 27.1% | 150thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 188 schools | 43.0% | 16.7% | 18.6% | 19thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 179 schools | 14.7% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 71stof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 179 schools | 13.4% | 12.7% | 11.6% | 41stof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Manchester | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 165 schools | 25.5 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 89thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 165 schools | 11.2% | 11.5% | 10.6% | 97thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 182 schools | 18.8 | 19.1 | 19.0 | 62ndof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 173 schools | 14.4% | 13.5% | 15.0% | 71stof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 182 schools | £50,851 | £51,081 | £51,377 | 86thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 168 schools | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 125thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Manchester | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 169 schools | 93.2% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 124thof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 169 schools | 18.6% | 15.9% | 15.8% | 123rdof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 171 schools | 7.3 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 93rdof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Manchester | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 180 schools | £9,331 | £9,291 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 180 schools | £3,923 | £4,183 | £4,229 | 111thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 188 schools | 9.2% | 6.6% | 8.3% | 57thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 188 schools | 4.8% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 11thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Manchester | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 30 schools | 43.8% | 42.3% | 46.1% | 87thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 30 schools | 46.8 | 45.3 | 47.0 | 62ndof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 125 schools | 59.7% | 61.3% | 63.1% | 127thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 125 schools | 5.2% | 7.1% | 8.3% | 137thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Manchester | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 167 schools | 10% | 15% | 13% | 111thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 128 schools | 90% | 93% | 94% | 131stof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 155 schools | 32% | 32% | 35% | 89thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 162 schools | 90.5% | 88.5% | 86.2% | 35thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 200 schools | 52% | 38% | 52% | 79thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 200 schools | 26.0% | 14.6% | 12.0% | 11thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
ManchesterEngland
Since 2016: -2.4%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
ManchesterEngland
Since 2019: +20.6%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
ManchesterEngland
Since 2017: +7.1%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
ManchesterEngland
Since 2016: +6.0%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
ManchesterEngland
Since 2007: +4.0