A council (local authority) in the West Midlands
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.
Stoke-on-Trent at a glance
How Stoke-on-Trent'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.
71 mainstream schools in Stoke-on-Trent, best first
Results well above the England average.
36 first choices, 37 offers made
Met the standard at 1183%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
63 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1178%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
28 first choices, 29 offers made
Met the standard at 1177%
England 62%
15 mainstream schools in Stoke-on-Trent, best first
Results well above the England average.
285 first choices, 150 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1663.6
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
182 first choices, 146 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1646.0
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
219 first choices, 209 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.3
England 46.2
69 in Stoke-on-Trent, highest Ofsted grade first
Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1DU · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 5HA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 9AB · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
10 in Stoke-on-Trent, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
285 first choices, 150 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1663.6
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
219 first choices, 209 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.3
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
197 first choices, 197 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1643.6
England 46.2
21 in Stoke-on-Trent. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Stoke-On-Trent, ST3 5PP · Academy · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4NF · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DL · Independent · Primary · Ages 5 to 13
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
20 in Stoke-on-Trent. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 7AS · Independent · Secondary · Ages 14 to 19
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4NF · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DL · Independent · Primary · Ages 5 to 13
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.
Stoke-on-Trent is a unitary authority in the West Midlands with 71 mainstream primary schools and 15 mainstream secondary schools. It has 1 grammar school, which chooses pupils by a test. Most state schools here are academies or free schools (93%), so many set their own term dates and admissions rules. Independent schools are common too, with 20 in the area.
From Stoke-on-Trent council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: admissions@stoke.gov.uk · 01782 234598
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
94.4%got their first-choice primary school in Stoke-on-Trent in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 49 of 151 councils. 97.2% got one of their top three.6.3% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
88.5%got their first-choice secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 54 of 151 councils. 96.5% got one of their top three.12.9% 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.
3 of 38 primary appeals heard in Stoke-on-Trent succeeded in 2025. 15 of 135 secondary appeals heard in Stoke-on-Trent succeeded in 2025.
Pick a stage to see every Stoke-on-Trent school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 51 inspected are Good or better.
69nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 59% met the standard at 11.
90schools
Ages 11 to 16
5 Good, 1 need to improve. 33% got grade 5 in English and maths.
36schools
12 Good, 2 need to improve. About 8 pupils per teacher.
21schools
Here's how Stoke-on-Trent'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.
Stoke-on-TrentEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 47 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
5 of the 6 with a grade.
83%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
59%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
33%
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.
42%
Latest graded inspection for the 74 schools that have one.
95%
Good or Outstanding
Stoke-on-Trent 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 | Stoke-on-Trent | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 95% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 59% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 39.4 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 20% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 19.1:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £7,611 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 85% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 55% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 21% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 26% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 41% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 861, ONS code E06000021.
Stoke-on-Trent has 184 schools and nurseries.
There are 5% more pupils than in 2018.
42% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Stoke-on-Trent's state schools each January.
Up 5% 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.
Stoke-on-Trent42%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Stoke-on-Trent has 184 schools, including 90 primary schools, 36 secondary schools, 69 nurseries, 20 independent schools, 21 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Stoke-on-Trent on Eduscope are Newstead Primary Academy, St Joseph's College, St Gregory's Catholic Academy. 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 Stoke-on-Trent hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 11 schools rated Outstanding and 59 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Stoke-on-Trent, 59% 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 Stoke-on-Trent 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 Stoke-on-Trent is 19.7%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 41,057 pupils enrolled across schools in Stoke-on-Trent, with 24,289 in primary and 16,768 in secondary. 41.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 20 independent schools in Stoke-on-Trent. 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 Stoke-on-Trent 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 184 schools in Stoke-on-Trent 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.
