A council (local authority) in the South West
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.
Plymouth at a glance
How Plymouth'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.
69 mainstream schools in Plymouth, best first
Results well above the England average.
67 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1188%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
70 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1192%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
86 first choices, 58 offers made
Met the standard at 1177%
England 62%
19 mainstream schools in Plymouth, best first
Results well above the England average.
250 first choices, 158 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1674.9
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
234 first choices, 208 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1665.1
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
104 first choices, 119 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1665.7
England 46.2
68 in Plymouth, highest Ofsted grade first
Plymouth, PL4 8AA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Plymouth, PL5 1EJ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Laira, PL3 6DG · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
23 in Plymouth, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
250 first choices, 158 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1674.9
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
234 first choices, 208 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1665.1
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
104 first choices, 119 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1665.7
England 46.2
8 in Plymouth. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Plymouth, PL5 2PY · 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.
Plymouth, PL5 4DZ · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Plymouth, PL6 8EE · 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.
5 in Plymouth. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Plymouth, PL1 3JL · Independent · All-through · Ages 6 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Plymouth, PL4 6AN · Independent · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Plymouth, PL3 5LW · Independent · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
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.
Plymouth is a unitary authority in the South West with 69 mainstream primary schools and 19 mainstream secondary schools. It has 3 grammar schools, which choose pupils by a test. Most state schools here are academies or free schools (91%), so many set their own term dates and admissions rules.
From Plymouth council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: 01752 307469
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
93.5%got their first-choice primary school in Plymouth in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 70 of 151 councils. 98.4% got one of their top three.2.7% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
91.7%got their first-choice secondary school in Plymouth in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 34 of 151 councils. 98.9% got one of their top three.4.3% 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 10 primary appeals heard in Plymouth succeeded in 2025. 13 of 53 secondary appeals heard in Plymouth succeeded in 2025.
Pick a stage to see every Plymouth school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 48 inspected are Good or better.
68nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 65% met the standard at 11.
81schools
Ages 11 to 16
11 Good, 2 need to improve. 50% got grade 5 in English and maths.
29schools
All 4 inspected are Good or better. About 6 pupils per teacher.
8schools
Here's how Plymouth'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.
PlymouthEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 45 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
11 of the 13 with a grade.
85%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
65%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
50%
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.
26%
Latest graded inspection for the 66 schools that have one.
97%
Good or Outstanding
Plymouth 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 | Plymouth | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 97% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 65% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 46.8 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 21% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 17.8:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £7,953 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 92% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 43% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 22% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 11% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 27% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 879, ONS code E06000026.
Plymouth has 169 schools and nurseries.
Pupil numbers are about the same as in 2018.
26% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Plymouth's state schools each January.
Down 1% 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.
Plymouth26%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Plymouth has 169 schools, including 81 primary schools, 29 secondary schools, 68 nurseries, 5 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 Plymouth on Eduscope are Marine Academy Primary, Glen Park Primary School, Elburton 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 Plymouth hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 8 schools rated Outstanding and 56 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Plymouth, 65% 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 Plymouth is 17.8:1. 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 Plymouth is 20.8%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 38,227 pupils enrolled across schools in Plymouth, with 19,746 in primary and 18,339 in secondary. 26.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 5 independent schools in Plymouth. 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 Plymouth 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 169 schools in Plymouth 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.
