A council (local authority) in the South East
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 close to England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Brighton and Hove at a glance
How Brighton and Hove'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.
46 mainstream schools in Brighton and Hove, best first
Results well above the England average.
Met the standard at 1176%
England 62%
Results close to the England average.
94 first choices, 90 offers made
Met the standard at 1160%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
36 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1166%
England 62%
10 mainstream schools in Brighton and Hove, best first
Results well above the England average.
212 first choices, 171 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.5
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
484 first choices, 346 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1650.9
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
350 first choices, 279 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.7
England 46.2
111 in Brighton and Hove, highest Ofsted grade first
Brighton, BN41 2PY · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Brighton, BN41 2GW · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Brighton, BN1 9SE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
13 in Brighton and Hove, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
212 first choices, 171 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.5
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
484 first choices, 346 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1650.9
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
150 first choices, 172 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1644.1
England 46.2
8 in Brighton and Hove. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Bn3 4fh · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Brighton, BN2 6BB · Special · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Brighton, BN2 0LS · Special · All-through · Ages 5 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
12 in Brighton and Hove. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Bn3 4fh · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Hove, BN3 3ER · Independent · All-through · Ages 1 to 18
Independent school. Results well below the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1617.0
England 46.2
Brighton, BN1 4SB · Independent · Secondary · Ages 14 to 19
Independent school. 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.
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority in the South East with 46 mainstream primary schools and 10 mainstream secondary schools. The council still runs or maintains most state schools here: only 20% are academies or free schools. Pupil numbers have fallen 4% since 2018.
From Brighton and Hove council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk · 01273 293 653
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
93.8%got their first-choice primary school in Brighton and Hove in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 67 of 151 councils. 99.4% got one of their top three.0.8% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
82.9%got their first-choice secondary school in Brighton and Hove in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 83 of 151 councils. 97.4% got one of their top three.2.9% 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.
0 of 19 primary appeals heard in Brighton and Hove succeeded in 2025. 29 of 143 secondary appeals heard in Brighton and Hove succeeded in 2025.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | 2 Sept | 26 Oct to 30 Oct | 18 Dec |
| Spring | 4 Jan | 15 Feb to 19 Feb | 25 Mar |
| Summer | 12 Apr | 1 Jun to 4 Jun | 21 Jul |
For schools that follow the council's dates. Academies, faith and foundation schools can set their own, and schools add training days. Source, checked 6 November 2026.
Pick a stage to see every Brighton and Hove school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 88 inspected are Good or better.
111nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
97% Good or better. 60% met the standard at 11.
57schools
Ages 11 to 16
All 3 inspected are Good or better. 49% got grade 5 in English and maths.
22schools
2 Outstanding, 3 Good, 1 need to improve. About 9 pupils per teacher.
8schools
Here's how Brighton and Hove's schools break down by type, faith and more.
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.
Brighton and HoveEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 29 primaries with one.
97%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
3 of the 3 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
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.
49%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
21%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
27%
Latest graded inspection for the 42 schools that have one.
95%
Good or Outstanding
Brighton and Hove 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 | Brighton and Hove | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 95% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 60% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 47.4 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 21% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 19.1:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £8,135 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 91% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 28% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 26% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 17% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 27% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 846, ONS code E06000043.
Brighton and Hove has 186 schools and nurseries.
There are 4% fewer pupils than in 2018.
27% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Brighton and Hove's state schools each January.
Down 4% 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.
Brighton and Hove27%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Brighton and Hove has 186 schools, including 57 primary schools, 22 secondary schools, 111 nurseries, 12 independent schools, 8 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Brighton and Hove on Eduscope are Hove Junior School, King's School, Cardinal Newman Catholic 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.
95% of inspected schools in Brighton and Hove hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 4 schools rated Outstanding and 36 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Brighton and Hove, 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 Brighton and Hove is 19.1:1. 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 Brighton and Hove is 21.3%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 29,432 pupils enrolled across schools in Brighton and Hove, with 15,939 in primary and 13,321 in secondary. 26.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 12 independent schools in Brighton and Hove. 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 Brighton and Hove 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 186 schools in Brighton and Hove 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.
