Pupils from low-income families in England's schools
Across England's state schools, pupils from low-income families averaged 26.3% in January 2026 (21,926 schools). Since 2019 it has risen by 10.3 points, which is the wrong direction. The rise since 2019 is partly real and partly the protection of eligibility during Universal Credit rollout. Official definition: eligible for free school meals, january census.
The trend
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
All state schoolsPrimarySecondary
Since 2019: +10.3%
Year by year
| Year | All | Primary | Secondary | Schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 26.3% | 24.0% | 28.8% | 21,926 |
| January 2025 | 25.8% | 23.8% | 27.2% | 21,113 |
| January 2024 | 25.0% | 23.3% | 25.3% | 20,426 |
| January 2023 | 24.4% | 22.9% | 23.8% | 19,899 |
| January 2022 | 22.6% | 22.0% | 22.0% | 20,051 |
| January 2021 | 21.2% | 20.6% | 19.9% | 19,588 |
| January 2019 | 16.0% | 14.8% | 14.6% | 17,947 |
By region
Latest year, best (lowest) first. The tick is the England figure.
Every council
151 councils ranked, best (lowest) first. Councils with very few schools swing more from year to year.
| # | Council | Pupils from low-income families | Schools | vs England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wokingham | 12.1% | 72 | -14.3 pts |
| 2 | Rutland | 12.2% | 21 | -14.1 pts |
| 3 | Bracknell Forest | 13.8% | 38 | -12.5 pts |
| 4 | Westmorland and Furness | 14.6% | 147 | -11.7 pts |
| 5 | Central Bedfordshire | 15.1% | 128 | -11.2 pts |
| 6 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 15.4% | 66 | -10.9 pts |
| 7 | Oxfordshire | 15.7% | 308 | -10.6 pts |
| 8 | West Sussex | 16.1% | 285 | -10.2 pts |
| 9 | West Berkshire | 16.5% | 83 | -9.8 pts |
| 10 | West Northamptonshire | 16.6% | 187 | -9.7 pts |
| 11 | Richmond upon Thames | 16.8% | 60 | -9.5 pts |
| 12 | Buckinghamshire | 16.9% | 234 | -9.4 pts |
| 13 | Wiltshire | 17.2% | 235 | -9.1 pts |
| 14 | Surrey | 17.3% | 398 | -9.0 pts |
| 15 | South Gloucestershire | 17.5% | 116 | -8.8 pts |
| 16 | Leicestershire | 17.6% | 288 | -8.8 pts |
| 17 | North Somerset | 17.8% | 79 | -8.6 pts |
| 18 | Hertfordshire | 17.8% | 529 | -8.5 pts |
| 19 | Cheshire East | 18.1% | 156 | -8.2 pts |
| 20 | Kingston upon Thames | 18.1% | 52 | -8.2 pts |
| 21 | Shropshire | 18.2% | 151 | -8.2 pts |
| 22 | North Yorkshire | 18.4% | 349 | -8.0 pts |
| 23 | Bromley | 18.5% | 100 | -7.8 pts |
| 24 | Bath and North East Somerset | 18.5% | 80 | -7.8 pts |
| 25 | Sutton | 19.2% | 64 | -7.1 pts |
| 26 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 19.3% | 149 | -7.0 pts |
| 27 | Herefordshire, County of | 19.6% | 99 | -6.7 pts |
| 28 | Gloucestershire | 19.7% | 298 | -6.6 pts |
| 29 | Harrow | 19.7% | 60 | -6.6 pts |
| 30 | North Northamptonshire | 19.7% | 144 | -6.6 pts |
| 31 | York | 19.8% | 63 | -6.5 pts |
| 32 | Somerset | 20.2% | 264 | -6.1 pts |
| 33 | Dorset | 20.6% | 158 | -5.8 pts |
| 34 | Essex | 20.7% | 555 | -5.6 pts |
| 35 | Cumberland | 20.8% | 171 | -5.6 pts |
| 36 | Cheshire West and Chester | 20.9% | 160 | -5.5 pts |
| 37 | Worcestershire | 21.0% | 243 | -5.3 pts |
| 38 | Swindon | 21.1% | 88 | -5.3 pts |
| 39 | Trafford | 21.4% | 91 | -4.9 pts |
| 40 | Bedford | 21.4% | 76 | -4.9 pts |
| 41 | Hampshire | 21.5% | 526 | -4.8 pts |
| 42 | Havering | 21.5% | 83 | -4.8 pts |
| 43 | Devon | 21.6% | 371 | -4.7 pts |
| 44 | Barnet | 21.6% | 132 | -4.7 pts |
| 45 | Staffordshire | 21.6% | 411 | -4.7 pts |
| 46 | Slough | 21.7% | 51 | -4.6 pts |
| 47 | Cornwall | 22.4% | 280 | -3.9 pts |
| 48 | Warwickshire | 22.4% | 250 | -3.9 pts |
| 49 | Cambridgeshire | 22.6% | 269 | -3.8 pts |
| 50 | Suffolk | 22.9% | 323 | -3.4 pts |
| 51 | Northumberland | 23.2% | 165 | -3.2 pts |
| 52 | Norfolk | 23.5% | 418 | -2.8 pts |
| 53 | Bexley | 23.5% | 84 | -2.8 pts |
| 54 | Nottinghamshire | 23.6% | 344 | -2.8 pts |
| 55 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 23.7% | 100 | -2.6 pts |
| 56 | Thurrock | 24.3% | 56 | -2.0 pts |
| 57 | Reading | 24.4% | 61 | -1.9 pts |
| 58 | Lancashire | 24.6% | 627 | -1.7 pts |
| 59 | East Sussex | 24.6% | 185 | -1.7 pts |
| 60 | Bury | 24.7% | 84 | -1.7 pts |
| 61 | Redbridge | 24.8% | 79 | -1.5 pts |
| 62 | Wakefield | 25.3% | 142 | -1.1 pts |
| 63 | Hillingdon | 25.4% | 97 | -0.9 pts |
| 64 | Hounslow | 25.4% | 76 | -0.9 pts |
| 65 | Stockport | 25.5% | 115 | -0.9 pts |
| 66 | Southend-on-Sea | 26.2% | 52 | -0.1 pts |
| 67 | Kirklees | 26.3% | 182 | -0.1 pts |
| 68 | Waltham Forest | 26.4% | 78 | +0.0 pts |
| 69 | Leeds | 26.4% | 279 | +0.0 pts |
| 70 | Solihull | 26.6% | 83 | +0.3 pts |
| 71 | Warrington | 26.7% | 88 | +0.3 pts |
| 72 | Luton | 26.8% | 70 | +0.4 pts |
| 73 | Isle of Wight | 26.8% | 47 | +0.5 pts |
| 74 | Kent | 27.3% | 597 | +0.9 pts |
| 75 | Barking and Dagenham | 27.3% | 62 | +0.9 pts |
| 76 | North Lincolnshire | 27.4% | 80 | +1.1 pts |
| 77 | Brent | 27.5% | 88 | +1.2 pts |
| 78 | Blackburn with Darwen | 27.9% | 77 | +1.5 pts |
| 79 | St. Helens | 27.9% | 70 | +1.6 pts |
| 80 | Medway | 28.0% | 103 | +1.7 pts |
| 81 | Milton Keynes | 28.1% | 113 | +1.8 pts |
| 82 | Bolton | 28.1% | 129 | +1.8 pts |
| 83 | Dudley | 28.1% | 107 | +1.8 pts |
| 84 | Haringey | 28.4% | 83 | +2.0 pts |
| 85 | Telford and Wrekin | 28.4% | 76 | +2.1 pts |
| 86 | Darlington | 28.7% | 42 | +2.3 pts |
| 87 | Coventry | 28.7% | 118 | +2.4 pts |
| 88 | Plymouth | 28.8% | 97 | +2.5 pts |
| 89 | Calderdale | 28.9% | 100 | +2.6 pts |
| 90 | Barnsley | 29.0% | 91 | +2.6 pts |
| 91 | Sefton | 29.0% | 103 | +2.7 pts |
| 92 | Derbyshire | 29.6% | 418 | +3.3 pts |
| 93 | Merton | 29.9% | 56 | +3.6 pts |
| 94 | Leicester | 30.0% | 114 | +3.7 pts |
| 95 | Ealing | 30.0% | 94 | +3.7 pts |
| 96 | Brighton and Hove | 30.2% | 63 | +3.9 pts |
| 97 | Wigan | 30.4% | 127 | +4.0 pts |
| 98 | Rotherham | 30.5% | 123 | +4.2 pts |
| 99 | Doncaster | 30.6% | 128 | +4.2 pts |
| 100 | Croydon | 30.6% | 127 | +4.3 pts |
| 101 | Lewisham | 30.6% | 86 | +4.3 pts |
| 102 | Sunderland | 30.9% | 116 | +4.6 pts |
| 103 | Lincolnshire | 30.9% | 359 | +4.6 pts |
| 104 | North Tyneside | 31.0% | 77 | +4.7 pts |
| 105 | Rochdale | 31.3% | 90 | +4.9 pts |
| 106 | Torbay | 31.3% | 43 | +5.0 pts |
| 107 | Gateshead | 31.4% | 83 | +5.1 pts |
| 108 | Bradford | 31.4% | 210 | +5.1 pts |
| 109 | Stockton-on-Tees | 31.4% | 78 | +5.1 pts |
| 110 | Peterborough | 32.3% | 82 | +6.0 pts |
| 111 | County Durham | 33.1% | 260 | +6.8 pts |
| 112 | North East Lincolnshire | 34.0% | 65 | +7.7 pts |
| 113 | Greenwich | 34.1% | 88 | +7.7 pts |
| 114 | Oldham | 34.7% | 107 | +8.3 pts |
| 115 | South Tyneside | 34.7% | 62 | +8.4 pts |
| 116 | Sheffield | 34.8% | 178 | +8.5 pts |
| 117 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 34.9% | 59 | +8.6 pts |
| 118 | Bristol, City of | 35.3% | 153 | +8.9 pts |
| 119 | Derby | 35.4% | 107 | +9.1 pts |
| 120 | Redcar and Cleveland | 35.6% | 59 | +9.3 pts |
| 121 | Enfield | 35.9% | 97 | +9.6 pts |
| 122 | Portsmouth | 36.2% | 61 | +9.8 pts |
| 123 | Tameside | 36.5% | 98 | +10.1 pts |
| 124 | Wandsworth | 36.5% | 81 | +10.2 pts |
| 125 | Walsall | 36.9% | 122 | +10.5 pts |
| 126 | Sandwell | 37.1% | 123 | +10.8 pts |
| 127 | Liverpool | 37.2% | 171 | +10.9 pts |
| 128 | Wirral | 37.3% | 125 | +11.0 pts |
| 129 | Kensington and Chelsea | 38.1% | 39 | +11.8 pts |
| 130 | Newham | 38.2% | 102 | +11.8 pts |
| 131 | Salford | 38.4% | 99 | +12.1 pts |
| 132 | Southampton | 39.5% | 76 | +13.1 pts |
| 133 | Nottingham | 39.7% | 105 | +13.4 pts |
| 134 | Kingston upon Hull, City of | 39.9% | 96 | +13.6 pts |
| 135 | Knowsley | 40.3% | 61 | +13.9 pts |
| 136 | Halton | 41.0% | 66 | +14.7 pts |
| 137 | Hartlepool | 41.1% | 39 | +14.7 pts |
| 138 | Tower Hamlets | 41.2% | 94 | +14.9 pts |
| 139 | Stoke-on-Trent | 41.4% | 92 | +15.1 pts |
| 140 | Westminster | 42.0% | 53 | +15.6 pts |
| 141 | Lambeth | 43.1% | 88 | +16.8 pts |
| 142 | Wolverhampton | 43.4% | 111 | +17.0 pts |
| 143 | Southwark | 44.1% | 101 | +17.8 pts |
| 144 | Middlesbrough | 44.2% | 57 | +17.9 pts |
| 145 | Blackpool | 44.3% | 43 | +17.9 pts |
| 146 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 44.3% | 100 | +18.0 pts |
| 147 | Hackney | 46.8% | 73 | +20.5 pts |
| 148 | Camden | 47.0% | 57 | +20.6 pts |
| 149 | Birmingham | 47.5% | 440 | +21.2 pts |
| 150 | Islington | 49.4% | 64 | +23.0 pts |
| 151 | Manchester | 49.7% | 189 | +23.4 pts |
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.