Average GCSE score in England's schools

Across England's state schools, average gcse score averaged 47.0 in 2024/25 (3,207 schools). Since 2016 it has fallen by 5.0, which is the wrong direction. Official definition: attainment 8.

The trend

Trend

Average GCSE score

2016 to 2025

Since 2016: -5.0

Year by year

Year	All	Primary	Secondary	Schools
2024/25	47.0	–	47.0	3,207
2023/24	47.0	–	47.0	3,135
2022/23	47.2	–	47.2	3,056
2021/22	49.7	–	49.7	2,984
2018/19	48.0	–	48.0	2,703
2017/18	48.0	–	48.0	2,529
2016/17	48.3	–	48.3	2,354
2015/16	51.9	–	51.9	2,223

By region

Latest year, best first. The tick is the England figure.

51.1

47.9

47.1

46.9

45.7

45.5

45.3

Yorkshire and the Humber

45.2

North East

44.9

Every council

150 councils ranked, best first. Councils with very few schools swing more from year to year.

#	Council	Average GCSE score	Schools	vs England
1	Sutton	62.2	15	+15.3
2	Kingston upon Thames	59.9	11	+12.9
3	Trafford	58.9	18	+11.9
4	Barnet	58.2	27	+11.2
5	Hammersmith and Fulham	57.4	11	+10.4
6	Richmond upon Thames	56.5	11	+9.5
7	Redbridge	55.0	19	+8.1
8	Kensington and Chelsea	55.0	6	+8.0
9	Southend-on-Sea	54.7	12	+7.8
10	Wokingham	54.4	9	+7.4
11	Buckinghamshire	54.1	36	+7.1
12	Westminster	54.1	11	+7.1
13	Slough	53.9	15	+7.0
14	Reading	53.8	9	+6.9
15	Ealing	53.2	16	+6.2
16	Wandsworth	52.8	11	+5.9
17	Merton	52.7	8	+5.7
18	Torbay	52.0	8	+5.0
19	Bromley	51.8	19	+4.8
20	Brent	51.7	15	+4.7
21	Gloucestershire	51.5	39	+4.5
22	Surrey	51.4	53	+4.5
23	Harrow	51.4	13	+4.5
24	Southwark	51.4	20	+4.4
25	Hounslow	51.0	20	+4.0
26	Bexley	51.0	16	+4.0
27	Hertfordshire	50.9	78	+4.0
28	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	50.8	22	+3.8
29	Hackney	50.7	16	+3.7
30	York	50.6	9	+3.7
31	Newham	50.2	20	+3.3
32	Warwickshire	50.0	36	+3.0
33	Calderdale	49.7	11	+2.7
34	Cambridgeshire	49.3	34	+2.4
35	Haringey	49.0	12	+2.1
36	Greenwich	48.7	16	+1.7
37	Islington	48.7	8	+1.7
38	Tower Hamlets	48.5	17	+1.5
39	Camden	48.3	10	+1.3
40	Kent	48.2	100	+1.3
41	Havering	48.1	18	+1.1
42	Barking and Dagenham	48.1	13	+1.1
43	Windsor and Maidenhead	48.0	10	+1.0
44	Lewisham	47.7	14	+0.8
45	Birmingham	47.7	85	+0.7
46	Bracknell Forest	47.5	7	+0.6
47	Leicester	47.5	19	+0.6
48	Wirral	47.4	19	+0.4
49	Waltham Forest	47.3	17	+0.4
50	Stockport	47.3	13	+0.3
51	North Tyneside	47.1	11	+0.2
52	North Yorkshire	47.1	41	+0.2
53	Bristol, City of	47.1	22	+0.1
54	North Somerset	47.0	11	+0.0
55	Wiltshire	47.0	26	+0.0
56	Warrington	47.0	13	+0.0
57	Plymouth	47.0	18	0.0
58	Enfield	46.9	21	0.0
59	Blackburn with Darwen	46.8	12	-0.1
60	Gateshead	46.8	8	-0.2
61	Medway	46.8	18	-0.2
62	Manchester	46.8	30	-0.2
63	Leicestershire	46.7	43	-0.3
64	Bolton	46.7	19	-0.3
65	Lambeth	46.7	15	-0.3
66	Kirklees	46.6	25	-0.3
67	West Sussex	46.6	38	-0.3
68	Solihull	46.6	15	-0.4
69	Hillingdon	46.6	22	-0.4
70	County Durham	46.6	30	-0.4
71	West Berkshire	46.6	9	-0.4
72	Nottinghamshire	46.4	45	-0.5
73	Leeds	46.4	42	-0.6
74	Thurrock	46.4	11	-0.6
75	Lincolnshire	46.2	54	-0.8
76	Essex	46.0	78	-0.9
77	Devon	45.9	40	-1.0
78	Lancashire	45.9	81	-1.1
79	Bath and North East Somerset	45.8	14	-1.1
80	Telford and Wrekin	45.8	12	-1.2
81	South Gloucestershire	45.7	16	-1.3
82	Luton	45.6	13	-1.4
83	Brighton and Hove	45.6	10	-1.4
84	Wolverhampton	45.6	20	-1.4
85	Oxfordshire	45.4	41	-1.5
86	West Northamptonshire	45.4	22	-1.6
87	Stockton-on-Tees	45.4	13	-1.6
88	Norfolk	45.3	53	-1.7
89	Wakefield	45.3	18	-1.7
90	Sheffield	45.2	28	-1.7
91	Cheshire East	45.2	22	-1.7
92	Westmorland and Furness	45.2	20	-1.8
93	Hampshire	45.2	67	-1.8
94	Bedford	45.1	12	-1.8
95	Barnsley	45.0	10	-1.9
96	Cheshire West and Chester	45.0	20	-2.0
97	Herefordshire, County of	45.0	15	-2.0
98	Doncaster	44.9	20	-2.1
99	East Riding of Yorkshire	44.9	18	-2.1
100	Coventry	44.8	22	-2.1
101	Derbyshire	44.8	45	-2.1
102	Cornwall	44.8	31	-2.2
103	Milton Keynes	44.8	14	-2.2
104	Salford	44.8	15	-2.2
105	Redcar and Cleveland	44.7	10	-2.3
106	Swindon	44.6	14	-2.4
107	Northumberland	44.5	16	-2.5
108	Croydon	44.5	23	-2.5
109	Worcestershire	44.5	31	-2.5
110	Dudley	44.3	18	-2.6
111	East Sussex	44.3	22	-2.7
112	Somerset	44.3	27	-2.7
113	Peterborough	44.2	13	-2.8
114	Tameside	44.2	13	-2.8
115	South Tyneside	44.2	8	-2.8
116	Nottingham	44.2	18	-2.8
117	Darlington	44.2	8	-2.8
118	Central Bedfordshire	44.1	15	-2.9
119	North Northamptonshire	44.0	19	-3.0
120	Wigan	43.9	19	-3.1
121	Sunderland	43.8	18	-3.1
122	St. Helens	43.8	7	-3.2
123	Staffordshire	43.8	56	-3.2
124	Oldham	43.7	10	-3.2
125	Walsall	43.6	19	-3.4
126	North Lincolnshire	43.4	14	-3.5
127	Bury	43.3	11	-3.6
128	Sefton	43.3	17	-3.6
129	Newcastle upon Tyne	43.3	12	-3.6
130	Suffolk	43.3	43	-3.7
131	Hartlepool	43.1	5	-3.8
132	Shropshire	43.1	20	-3.9
133	Liverpool	43.1	29	-3.9
134	Dorset	42.9	18	-4.1
135	Kingston upon Hull, City of	42.8	13	-4.2
136	Derby	42.7	16	-4.3
137	Sandwell	42.7	19	-4.3
138	Southampton	42.6	11	-4.4
139	Isle of Wight	42.5	7	-4.5
140	Rotherham	42.4	15	-4.6
141	North East Lincolnshire	42.0	10	-4.9
142	Portsmouth	42.0	10	-5.0
143	Rochdale	42.0	11	-5.0
144	Bradford	41.5	35	-5.4
145	Stoke-on-Trent	41.5	14	-5.5
146	Middlesbrough	41.3	8	-5.7
147	Halton	41.1	8	-5.8
148	Cumberland	41.0	19	-5.9
149	Blackpool	38.4	7	-8.6
150	Knowsley	36.5	6	-10.4

How to read this

Each figure is a simple average across open state schools that have the measure published. A school counts once whatever its size, so the figures can differ a little from the Department for Education's national figures, which count pupils. Special schools and alternative provision are left out of results measures. Independent schools are left out throughout. Sources and update calendar.