A council (local authority) in Yorkshire and the Humber
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Bradford at a glance
How Bradford's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
157 mainstream schools in Bradford, best first
Results well above the England average.
27 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
60 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1190%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
71 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1180%
England 62%
32 mainstream schools in Bradford, best first
Results well above the England average.
343 first choices, 290 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.6
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
403 first choices, 271 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1651.5
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
191 first choices, 123 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1655.3
England 46.2
141 in Bradford, highest Ofsted grade first
Bradford, BD8 8HT · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 4
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Eldwick, BD16 3PA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Ilkley, LS29 8HZ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
29 in Bradford, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
343 first choices, 290 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.6
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
403 first choices, 271 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1651.5
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
191 first choices, 123 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1655.3
England 46.2
13 in Bradford. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Keighley, BD22 6HZ · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Bingley, BD16 1EE · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Bradford, BD4 7RH · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
16 in Bradford. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Bradford, BD5 9DH · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 23 · Boys
Independent school. Results well below the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1631.2
England 46.2
Bradford, BD2 1BT · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 16
Independent school. Results well above the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1662.8
England 46.2
West Yorkshire, BD6 2LE · Independent · All-through · Ages 6 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council's area. Independent schools take applications directly.
Bradford is a metropolitan borough in Yorkshire and the Humber with 157 mainstream primary schools and 32 mainstream secondary schools. Towns with the most schools include Bradford, Keighley and Shipley. Pupil numbers have fallen 2% since 2018.
From Bradford council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: schooladmissions@bradford.gov.uk · 01274 439200
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
92.3%got their first-choice primary school in Bradford in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 86 of 151 councils. 98.1% got one of their top three.2.9% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
78.1%got their first-choice secondary school in Bradford in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 107 of 151 councils. 91.4% got one of their top three.11.0% were offered a secondary school in another council. England: 8.0%.
Source: DfE applications and offers, 2026. A low rate shows high demand, not poor schools.
18 of 81 primary appeals heard in Bradford succeeded in 2025. 78 of 707 secondary appeals heard in Bradford succeeded in 2025.
Pick a stage to see every Bradford school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 116 inspected are Good or better.
141nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
95% Good or better. 60% met the standard at 11.
175schools
Ages 11 to 16
4 Outstanding, 11 Good, 1 need to improve. 39% got grade 5 in English and maths.
52schools
All 9 inspected are Good or better. About 8 pupils per teacher.
13schools
Here's how Bradford's schools break down by type, faith and more.
The blue bar is the average Eduscope score of the primary schools in each town. The black line is the Bradford average, 44.
Average primary score
93Bradford 44
Average primary score
55Bradford 44
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
BradfordEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 118 primaries with one.
95%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
15 of the 16 with a grade.
94%
England 93%
Close to England
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
60%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
39%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
23%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
31%
Latest graded inspection for the 155 schools that have one.
96%
Good or Outstanding
Each square is 1% of schools.
Bradford in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.
| Measure | Bradford | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 96% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 60% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 41.4 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 23% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 18.5:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £7,778 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 89% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 59% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 21% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 35% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 33% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 380, ONS code E08000032.
Bradford has 363 schools and nurseries across 10 towns and villages, the biggest being Bradford, Keighley, Shipley and Bingley.
There are 2% fewer pupils than in 2018.
31% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Bradford's state schools each January.
Down 2% since 2018.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Bradford31%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Bradford has 363 schools, including 175 primary schools, 52 secondary schools, 141 nurseries, 16 independent schools, 13 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Bradford on Eduscope are Burley and Woodhead CofE Primary School, Baildon Church of England Primary School, Burley Oaks Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
96% of inspected schools in Bradford hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 24 schools rated Outstanding and 125 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Bradford, 60% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Bradford is 18.5:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Bradford is 23.1%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 96,795 pupils enrolled across schools in Bradford, with 54,266 in primary and 40,411 in secondary. 32.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 16 independent schools in Bradford. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Bradford on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 363 schools in Bradford by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
