Plymouth schools in numbers
How Plymouth's 103 schools compare with South 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).
Schools103open, all types
Pupils38,023on roll
Primary schools69
Secondary schools19
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Plymouth | South West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 97 schools | 28.8% | 21.8% | 26.3% | 88thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 94 schools | 30.0% | 21.8% | 27.1% | 87thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 97 schools | 12.5% | 9.6% | 18.6% | 98thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 96 schools | 15.7% | 15.1% | 14.5% | 35thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 96 schools | 10.3% | 11.0% | 11.6% | 111thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Plymouth | South West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 86 schools | 25.0 | 24.5 | 25.0 | 66thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 86 schools | 11.7% | 11.8% | 10.6% | 105thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 95 schools | 19.1 | 18.9 | 19.0 | 83rdof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 95 schools | 15.6% | 16.5% | 15.0% | 97thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 95 schools | £49,471 | £49,716 | £51,377 | 137thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 95 schools | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 67thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Plymouth | South West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 92 schools | 93.3% | 93.8% | 93.8% | 115thof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 92 schools | 17.8% | 15.1% | 15.8% | 101stof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 92 schools | 9.3 | 8.5 | 7.0 | 123rdof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Plymouth | South West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 97 schools | £9,105 | £8,849 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 97 schools | £4,095 | £4,118 | £4,229 | 90thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 97 schools | 10.8% | 7.3% | 8.3% | 35thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 97 schools | 7.2% | 13.5% | 14.1% | 29thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Plymouth | South West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 18 schools | 47.2% | 46.5% | 46.1% | 49thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 18 schools | 47.0 | 46.9 | 47.0 | 57thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 66 schools | 64.6% | 60.7% | 63.1% | 61stof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 66 schools | 7.6% | 7.6% | 8.3% | 87thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Plymouth | South West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 87 schools | 18% | 13% | 13% | 17thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 55 schools | 96% | 91% | 94% | 60thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 86 schools | 34% | 29% | 35% | 76thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 86 schools | 80.9% | 82.3% | 86.2% | 130thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 99 schools | 84% | 66% | 52% | 9thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 99 schools | 16.2% | 8.9% | 12.0% | 48thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
PlymouthEngland
Since 2016: -2.0%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
PlymouthEngland
Since 2019: +9.0%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
PlymouthEngland
Since 2017: +6.7%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
PlymouthEngland
Since 2016: +8.8%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
PlymouthEngland
Since 2007: -1.8