Schools in North East
1,208 schools in North East.
Schools
1,208
Open schools
Pupils
396,473
2025–26 census
Good or better
94%
946 of 1006 graded
Academic Performance
5.2
out of 10 · 1133 schools
Ofsted ratings
- Outstanding
- 93 9%
- Good
- 853 85%
- Requires improvement
- 51 5%
- Inadequate
- 9 <1%
95 inspected since 2024, no overall grade98 superseded by a report card107 not judged8 in a category of concern1 safeguarding not effective
5.2
Academic PerformanceAveraged over 1133 of 1208 schools that can be scored
Pupils
396,473
pupils on roll
Boys 51%49% Girls
Roll from 1200 of 1208 schools (396,473 pupils). Independent schools report roll and sex only.
Ethnicity
White
84%Asian
5%Black
4%Mixed
3%Chinese
<1%Any other group
2%Unclassified
<1%Ethnicity from 1137 of 1208 schools (385,691 pupils). Independent schools report roll and sex only.
Pupil characteristics
- Free school meals
- 33.1%
- First language not English
- 10.3%
- Young carers
- <1%
127,556 of 385,691 pupils · 1137 of 1208 schools
39,552 of 385,691 pupils · 1137 of 1208 schools
3,660 of 382,941 pupils · 1109 of 1208 schools
Schools by phase
- Primary
- 862
- Secondary
- 175
- All-through
- 12
- Special
- 74
- Nursery
- 28
- PRU
- 18
- Not recorded
- 39
Local authorities in North East
12 local authorities, alphabetically. Percentages are of graded schools.
| Local authority | Schools | Pupils | Good or better | Academic Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham | 270 | 72,055 | 93%of 231 | 5.0/10 |
| Darlington | 46 | 16,037 | 95%of 41 | 5.2/10 |
| Gateshead | 92 | 30,087 | 92%of 78 | 5.3/10 |
| Hartlepool | 41 | 14,800 | 94%of 36 | 5.9/10 |
| Middlesbrough | 61 | 25,595 | 96%of 50 | 4.5/10 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 107 | 46,647 | 96%of 76 | 5.2/10 |
| North Tyneside | 83 | 30,774 | 88%of 69 | 4.9/10 |
| Northumberland | 174 | 43,653 | 95%of 149 | 4.9/10 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 64 | 20,593 | 89%of 56 | 5.2/10 |
| South Tyneside | 62 | 22,753 | 96%of 50 | 5.5/10 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 86 | 32,040 | 97%of 68 | 5.6/10 |
| Sunderland | 122 | 41,439 | 98%of 102 | 5.6/10 |
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About schools in North East
- How many schools are there in North East?
- North East has 1,208 open schools — 862 primary, 175 secondary, 74 special, 28 nursery, teaching 396,473 pupils in total.
- How many schools in North East are rated Good or Outstanding?
- 946 of the 1,006 schools holding an Ofsted grade — 94% — are rated Good or Outstanding, including 93 rated Outstanding. That share is measured against graded schools, not all 1,208: a school inspected since September 2024 has no overall grade at all.
- What is the average Academic Performance in North East?
- 5.2 out of 10, averaged across the 1,133 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 North East schools have no Ofsted rating?
- 202 schools in North East 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 North East?
- North East contains 12 local authorities, including County Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne and 6 more. Most admissions and school-place decisions are made at that level rather than regionally.
- How many pupils in North East are eligible for free school meals?
- 33.1% — 127,556 of 385,691 pupils at the 1,137 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.