A council (local authority) in the North 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.
Darlington at a glance
How Darlington'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.
29 mainstream schools in Darlington, best first
Results well above the England average.
Met the standard at 1177%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
17 first choices, 22 offers made
Met the standard at 1171%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
31 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1183%
England 62%
7 mainstream schools in Darlington, best first
Results above the England average.
305 first choices, 216 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1652.7
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
205 first choices, 247 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1650.7
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
110 first choices, 118 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.4
England 46.2
28 in Darlington, highest Ofsted grade first
Darlington, DL3 8DT · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Darlington, DL3 7PY · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Darlington, DL2 2ET · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
4 in Darlington, by the school's Eduscope score
Results above the England average.
305 first choices, 216 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1652.7
England 46.2
Darlington, DL2 2UQ · Independent · All-through · Ages 8 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Darlington, DL3 7AU · Academy · Sixth Form · Ages 16 to 19
No published results yet.
6 in Darlington. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Darlington, DL2 2AD · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Darlington, DL2 2UH · Independent · All-through · Ages 8 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Darlington, DL2 2UQ · Independent · All-through · Ages 8 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
4 in Darlington. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Darlington, DL2 2AD · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Darlington, DL2 2UH · Independent · All-through · Ages 8 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Darlington, DL2 2UQ · Independent · All-through · Ages 8 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.
Darlington is a unitary authority in the North East with 29 mainstream primary schools and 7 mainstream secondary schools. Most state schools here are academies or free schools (95%), so many set their own term dates and admissions rules.
From Darlington council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: schools.admissions@darlington.gov.uk · 01325 406333
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
92.7%got their first-choice primary school in Darlington in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 79 of 151 councils. 98.6% got one of their top three.3.1% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
91.5%got their first-choice secondary school in Darlington in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 35 of 151 councils. 98.7% got one of their top three.1.1% 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.
1 of 7 primary appeals heard in Darlington succeeded in 2025. 4 of 23 secondary appeals heard in Darlington succeeded in 2025.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | 1 Sept | 26 Oct to 30 Oct | 18 Dec |
| Spring | 4 Jan | 15 Feb to 19 Feb | 25 Mar |
| Summer | 12 Apr | 31 May 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 Darlington school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 26 inspected are Good or better.
28nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
96% Good or better. 62% met the standard at 11.
36schools
Ages 11 to 16
All 3 inspected are Good or better. 44% got grade 5 in English and maths.
14schools
All 3 inspected are Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
6schools
Here's how Darlington'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.
DarlingtonEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 22 primaries with one.
96%
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.
62%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
44%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
20%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
28%
Latest graded inspection for the 31 schools that have one.
97%
Good or Outstanding
Darlington 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 | Darlington | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 97% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 62% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 44.4 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 20% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 18.3:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £7,664 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 91% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 56% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 22% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 11% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 29% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 841, ONS code E06000005.
Darlington has 73 schools and nurseries.
There are 2% fewer pupils than in 2018.
28% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Darlington'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.
Darlington28%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Darlington has 73 schools, including 36 primary schools, 14 secondary schools, 28 nurseries, 4 independent schools, 6 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Darlington on Eduscope are Mowden Junior School, Carmel College, St Augustine's Catholic 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.
97% of inspected schools in Darlington hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 4 schools rated Outstanding and 26 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Darlington, 62% 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 Darlington is 18.3:1. 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 Darlington is 20.1%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 15,904 pupils enrolled across schools in Darlington, with 8,622 in primary and 7,076 in secondary. 29.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 4 independent schools in Darlington, all special schools for children with special educational needs, where councils usually pay the fees. You can compare them on Eduscope, including inspection reports where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 73 schools in Darlington 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.
