Schools in East of England
2,803 schools in East of England.
Schools
2,803
Open schools
Pupils
1,016,322
2025–26 census
Good or better
93%
2033 of 2194 graded
Academic Performance
4.9
out of 10 · 2522 schools
Ofsted ratings
- Outstanding
- 204 9%
- Good
- 1,829 83%
- Requires improvement
- 136 6%
- Inadequate
- 25 1%
253 inspected since 2024, no overall grade219 superseded by a report card356 not judged22 in a category of concern18 safeguarding not effective
4.9
Academic PerformanceAveraged over 2522 of 2803 schools that can be scored
Pupils
1,016,322
pupils on roll
Boys 51%49% Girls
Roll from 2788 of 2803 schools (1,016,322 pupils). Independent schools report roll and sex only.
Ethnicity
White
74%Asian
9%Black
6%Mixed
7%Chinese
<1%Any other group
1%Unclassified
2%Ethnicity from 2555 of 2803 schools (951,675 pupils). Independent schools report roll and sex only.
Pupil characteristics
- Free school meals
- 21.1%
- First language not English
- 17.5%
- Young carers
- 1.8%
201,157 of 951,675 pupils · 2555 of 2803 schools
166,864 of 951,675 pupils · 2555 of 2803 schools
16,996 of 947,754 pupils · 2517 of 2803 schools
Schools by phase
- Primary
- 2029
- Secondary
- 402
- All-through
- 67
- Special
- 143
- Nursery
- 38
- PRU
- 36
- Not recorded
- 88
Local authorities in East of England
11 local authorities, alphabetically. Percentages are of graded schools.
| Local authority | Schools | Pupils | Good or better | Academic Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | 84 | 35,373 | 95%of 63 | 4.4/10 |
| Cambridgeshire | 307 | 102,161 | 92%of 238 | 4.9/10 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 134 | 49,227 | 93%of 101 | 4.5/10 |
| Essex | 603 | 233,321 | 94%of 488 | 5.1/10 |
| Hertfordshire | 585 | 223,111 | 95%of 455 | 5.8/10 |
| Luton | 77 | 40,884 | 94%of 68 | 5.4/10 |
| Norfolk | 454 | 121,518 | 90%of 348 | 4.1/10 |
| Peterborough | 86 | 40,976 | 89%of 62 | 3.9/10 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 59 | 32,438 | 91%of 47 | 5.1/10 |
| Suffolk | 356 | 106,074 | 92%of 275 | 4.4/10 |
| Thurrock | 58 | 31,239 | 90%of 49 | 5.7/10 |
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About schools in East of England
- How many schools are there in East of England?
- East of England has 2,803 open schools — 2,029 primary, 402 secondary, 143 special, 38 nursery, teaching 1,016,322 pupils in total.
- How many schools in East of England are rated Good or Outstanding?
- 2,033 of the 2,194 schools holding an Ofsted grade — 93% — are rated Good or Outstanding, including 204 rated Outstanding. That share is measured against graded schools, not all 2,803: a school inspected since September 2024 has no overall grade at all.
- What is the average Academic Performance in East of England?
- 4.9 out of 10, averaged across the 2,522 schools here that can be scored, where 5 is the national average. Academic Performance combines the Ofsted judgement with DfE attainment and is ranked against comparable schools, so it is neither figure on its own.
- Why do some East of England schools have no Ofsted rating?
- 609 schools in East of England currently hold no overall grade. Ofsted stopped awarding single-word judgements in September 2024 and moved to a report card of separately graded areas, so schools inspected since then have no overall rating whatever the inspection found. Their profiles show the report card instead.
- Which local authorities are in East of England?
- East of England contains 11 local authorities, including Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton and 5 more. Most admissions and school-place decisions are made at that level rather than regionally.
- How many pupils in East of England are eligible for free school meals?
- 21.1% — 201,157 of 951,675 pupils at the 2,555 schools that report it. Independent schools file a return with roll and sex only, so they are outside this figure rather than counted as zero.