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 below England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Southampton at a glance
How Southampton'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.
54 mainstream schools in Southampton, best first
Results well above the England average.
126 first choices, 87 offers made
Met the standard at 1195%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
40 first choices, 45 offers made
Met the standard at 1187%
England 62%
Southampton, SO18 1NX · State · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Results above the England average.
88 first choices, 89 offers made
Met the standard at 1169%
England 62%
12 mainstream schools in Southampton, best first
Southampton, SO16 3DQ · State · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Results well above the England average.
299 first choices, 191 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1657.8
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
167 first choices, 205 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.4
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
318 first choices, 239 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1643.1
England 46.2
80 in Southampton, highest Ofsted grade first
Southampton, SO15 3ND · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Southampton, SO16 9LP · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Southampton, SO16 6RL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
7 in Southampton, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
167 first choices, 205 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.4
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
336 first choices, 332 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1640.6
England 46.2
Southampton, SO16 7LT · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
9 in Southampton. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Southampton, SO16 7LT · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Southampton, SO16 5NA · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Southampton, SO19 6DH · Special · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
7 in Southampton. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Southampton, SO19 6DS · Independent · All-through · Ages 9 to 19 · Girls
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
So18 1fs · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Southampton, SO17 1XS · Independent · All-through · Ages 9 to 16
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.
Southampton is a unitary authority in the South East with 54 mainstream primary schools and 12 mainstream secondary schools. 83.4% got their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England.
From Southampton council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
93.3%got their first-choice primary school in Southampton in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 74 of 151 councils. 99.1% got one of their top three.4.4% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
83.4%got their first-choice secondary school in Southampton in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 78 of 151 councils. 93.4% got one of their top three.10.0% 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.
0 of 15 primary appeals heard in Southampton succeeded in 2025. 32 of 114 secondary appeals heard in Southampton 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 7 November 2026.
Pick a stage to see every Southampton school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 63 inspected are Good or better.
80nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
94% Good or better. 57% met the standard at 11.
67schools
Ages 11 to 16
3 Outstanding, 7 Good, 1 need to improve. 36% got grade 5 in English and maths.
24schools
All 7 inspected are Good or better. About 6 pupils per teacher.
9schools
Here's how Southampton'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.
SouthamptonEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 31 primaries with one.
94%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
10 of the 11 with a grade.
91%
England 93%
Close to England
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
57%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
36%
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.
37%
Latest graded inspection for the 51 schools that have one.
94%
Good or Outstanding
Southampton 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 | Southampton | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 94% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 57% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 40.2 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 21% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 16.8:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £8,367 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 88% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 29% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 23% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 32% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 39% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 852, ONS code E06000045.
Southampton has 163 schools and nurseries.
There are 7% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
37% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Southampton's state schools each January.
Up 7% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Southampton37%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Southampton has 163 schools, including 67 primary schools, 24 secondary schools, 80 nurseries, 7 independent schools, 9 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Southampton on Eduscope are Springhill Catholic Primary School, Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College Southampton, Portswood 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.
94% of inspected schools in Southampton hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 12 schools rated Outstanding and 36 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Southampton, 57% 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 Southampton is 16.8:1. 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 Southampton is 21.4%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 33,691 pupils enrolled across schools in Southampton, with 19,089 in primary and 14,469 in secondary. 38.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 7 independent schools in Southampton. 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 Southampton 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 163 schools in Southampton 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.
