Pupils per teacher in England's schools

Across England's state schools, pupils per teacher averaged 19.0 in January 2026 (21,527 schools). Since 2011 it has risen by 0.1, which is the wrong direction. Official definition: pupil to teacher ratio.

The trend

Trend

Pupils per teacher

2011 to 2026

All state schoolsPrimarySecondary

Since 2011: +0.1

Year by year

Year	All	Primary	Secondary	Schools
January 2026	19.0	20.4	16.8	21,527
January 2025	19.1	20.5	16.9	20,889
January 2024	19.2	20.5	17.0	20,154
January 2023	19.1	20.5	17.0	19,697
January 2022	19.1	20.5	16.9	19,293
January 2021	19.1	20.5	16.8	18,853
January 2020	19.4	20.9	16.8	18,469
January 2019	19.3	20.8	16.5	17,619
January 2018	19.3	20.9	16.1	16,562
January 2017	18.9	20.5	15.6	15,428
January 2016	18.8	20.4	15.3	14,580
January 2015	18.6	20.3	15.0	13,848
January 2014	18.7	20.4	15.0	12,904
January 2013	18.7	20.3	15.0	11,799
January 2012	18.8	20.3	15.1	10,692
January 2011	19.0	20.3	14.5	9,801

By region

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

18.3

18.5

18.9

19.0

19.0

19.1

19.3

19.3

Yorkshire and the Humber

19.7

Every council

151 councils ranked, best (lowest) first. Councils with very few schools swing more from year to year.

#	Council	Pupils per teacher	Schools	vs England
1	Camden	15.5	55	-3.5
2	Westminster	16.4	50	-2.6
3	Northumberland	16.6	163	-2.4
4	Kensington and Chelsea	16.6	38	-2.4
5	Hammersmith and Fulham	16.7	56	-2.3
6	Islington	16.8	63	-2.2
7	Tower Hamlets	16.8	94	-2.2
8	Herefordshire, County of	17.2	99	-1.9
9	Halton	17.2	66	-1.8
10	Wandsworth	17.3	79	-1.8
11	Hackney	17.4	72	-1.7
12	Westmorland and Furness	17.4	146	-1.6
13	Southwark	17.4	100	-1.6
14	Redcar and Cleveland	17.4	59	-1.6
15	Hartlepool	17.5	39	-1.6
16	Middlesbrough	17.5	56	-1.5
17	Lambeth	17.6	87	-1.4
18	Rutland	17.6	21	-1.4
19	Blackpool	17.7	42	-1.4
20	Newham	17.7	101	-1.3
21	Cumberland	17.8	168	-1.2
22	Suffolk	17.8	318	-1.2
23	Lincolnshire	17.9	357	-1.2
24	Southampton	17.9	74	-1.1
25	North Tyneside	17.9	75	-1.1
26	Merton	17.9	56	-1.1
27	Wirral	18.0	123	-1.1
28	Barking and Dagenham	18.0	62	-1.1
29	Worcestershire	18.0	240	-1.0
30	Brent	18.1	86	-0.9
31	Wolverhampton	18.1	109	-0.9
32	West Berkshire	18.2	76	-0.9
33	Cheshire West and Chester	18.2	156	-0.8
34	Milton Keynes	18.3	110	-0.8
35	North Yorkshire	18.3	341	-0.8
36	Buckinghamshire	18.3	230	-0.8
37	Liverpool	18.4	165	-0.7
38	Isle of Wight	18.4	46	-0.7
39	Norfolk	18.4	416	-0.6
40	Salford	18.4	95	-0.6
41	Kingston upon Hull, City of	18.4	94	-0.6
42	Kingston upon Thames	18.4	51	-0.6
43	Devon	18.4	369	-0.6
44	Gloucestershire	18.4	294	-0.6
45	Dorset	18.4	156	-0.6
46	East Sussex	18.4	182	-0.6
47	Barnet	18.5	132	-0.5
48	Greenwich	18.5	88	-0.5
49	Hertfordshire	18.5	522	-0.5
50	Wiltshire	18.6	235	-0.5
51	Bristol, City of	18.6	152	-0.5
52	Lewisham	18.6	86	-0.5
53	Derbyshire	18.6	408	-0.4
54	Harrow	18.6	60	-0.4
55	Hillingdon	18.6	93	-0.4
56	Torbay	18.6	43	-0.4
57	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	18.7	96	-0.4
58	Portsmouth	18.7	61	-0.4
59	Southend-on-Sea	18.7	52	-0.4
60	Hounslow	18.7	76	-0.4
61	Ealing	18.7	86	-0.3
62	Manchester	18.8	182	-0.3
63	Nottingham	18.8	102	-0.3
64	Enfield	18.8	97	-0.3
65	Richmond upon Thames	18.8	60	-0.3
66	Peterborough	18.8	81	-0.2
67	Solihull	18.8	83	-0.2
68	Kent	18.9	585	-0.1
69	Birmingham	18.9	435	-0.1
70	Reading	18.9	60	-0.1
71	Waltham Forest	18.9	76	-0.1
72	Redbridge	19.0	79	0.0
73	Hampshire	19.0	520	0.0
74	Gateshead	19.0	83	0.0
75	Trafford	19.0	87	0.0
76	South Tyneside	19.0	62	+0.0
77	Sutton	19.1	60	+0.0
78	County Durham	19.1	257	+0.1
79	West Northamptonshire	19.1	184	+0.1
80	Stockport	19.1	109	+0.1
81	East Riding of Yorkshire	19.1	149	+0.1
82	Bexley	19.1	83	+0.1
83	Plymouth	19.1	95	+0.1
84	Cambridgeshire	19.2	268	+0.1
85	Sunderland	19.2	115	+0.2
86	Surrey	19.2	382	+0.2
87	North Lincolnshire	19.2	80	+0.2
88	Somerset	19.2	261	+0.2
89	Oxfordshire	19.2	304	+0.2
90	Wokingham	19.3	68	+0.2
91	Sefton	19.3	102	+0.2
92	Cornwall	19.3	279	+0.2
93	Sheffield	19.3	167	+0.3
94	Bedford	19.3	74	+0.3
95	Walsall	19.3	116	+0.3
96	St. Helens	19.3	68	+0.3
97	Windsor and Maidenhead	19.4	65	+0.3
98	Warrington	19.4	80	+0.3
99	Shropshire	19.4	147	+0.4
100	Staffordshire	19.4	407	+0.4
101	Medway	19.4	99	+0.4
102	Croydon	19.4	126	+0.4
103	Newcastle upon Tyne	19.4	98	+0.4
104	Knowsley	19.4	61	+0.4
105	Tameside	19.4	94	+0.4
106	Lancashire	19.5	617	+0.4
107	Blackburn with Darwen	19.5	75	+0.5
108	Leicester	19.5	111	+0.5
109	Bracknell Forest	19.6	38	+0.5
110	Kirklees	19.6	172	+0.6
111	Haringey	19.6	77	+0.6
112	Havering	19.6	83	+0.6
113	Swindon	19.6	87	+0.6
114	Central Bedfordshire	19.7	128	+0.6
115	South Gloucestershire	19.7	109	+0.7
116	Stockton-on-Tees	19.7	74	+0.7
117	Bath and North East Somerset	19.7	80	+0.7
118	Rochdale	19.8	89	+0.8
119	Thurrock	19.8	56	+0.8
120	Telford and Wrekin	19.9	71	+0.8
121	Bromley	19.9	100	+0.8
122	Cheshire East	19.9	151	+0.8
123	North Somerset	19.9	79	+0.9
124	Leeds	19.9	276	+0.9
125	Coventry	19.9	118	+0.9
126	Bolton	19.9	124	+0.9
127	West Sussex	19.9	278	+0.9
128	Bradford	20.0	209	+0.9
129	Bury	20.1	76	+1.0
130	Luton	20.1	68	+1.1
131	Sandwell	20.2	123	+1.1
132	Darlington	20.2	41	+1.1
133	Essex	20.2	552	+1.2
134	Nottinghamshire	20.2	331	+1.2
135	Doncaster	20.2	127	+1.2
136	Leicestershire	20.3	286	+1.2
137	Dudley	20.3	105	+1.2
138	Derby	20.4	104	+1.4
139	Stoke-on-Trent	20.4	91	+1.4
140	Wigan	20.5	126	+1.4
141	Rotherham	20.5	123	+1.4
142	York	20.5	63	+1.5
143	Slough	20.5	50	+1.5
144	Warwickshire	20.5	245	+1.5
145	North East Lincolnshire	20.5	65	+1.5
146	Wakefield	20.9	141	+1.9
147	Calderdale	20.9	99	+1.9
148	Brighton and Hove	21.0	60	+2.0
149	Barnsley	21.1	90	+2.1
150	North Northamptonshire	21.2	141	+2.2
151	Oldham	23.0	101	+4.0

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.