A town in Lancashire
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, fewer than 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.
Burnley at a glance
How Burnley'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.
23 mainstream schools in Burnley, best first
Results well above the England average.
65 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
48 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1170%
England 62%
Burnley, BB11 4RB · Academy · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
Results above the England average.
38 first choices, 27 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
England 62%
4 mainstream schools in Burnley, best first
Results well below the England average.
126 first choices, 119 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1638.9
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
199 first choices, 223 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1640.3
England 46.2
Burnley, BB10 3AA · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Results below the England average.
248 first choices, 248 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1640.1
England 46.2
22 in Burnley, highest Ofsted grade first
Burnley, BB12 6DY · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB12 6AJ · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB12 0BU · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
3 in Burnley, by the school's Eduscope score
Burnley, BB11 5BT · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB12 0QZ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18 · Boys
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB10 2AT · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
6 in Burnley. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Burnley, BB11 5BT · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB10 1JD · Special · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB10 2AT · Special · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
6 in Burnley. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Bb11 2ry · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16 · Girls
Independent school. Results close to the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1646.6
England 46.2
Burnley, BB11 2RU · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16 · Boys
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Burnley, BB12 0QZ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18 · Boys
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.
Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Burnley school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 20 inspected are Good or better.
22nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
88% Good or better. 55% met the standard at 11.
27schools
Ages 11 to 16
1 Good, 1 need to improve. 31% got grade 5 in English and maths.
14schools
All 3 inspected are Good or better. About 8 pupils per teacher.
6schools
Here's how Burnley'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.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
BurnleyEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 17 primaries with one.
88%
England 96%
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
1 of the 2 with a grade.
50%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
55%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
31%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
22%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
38%
Latest graded inspection for the 32 schools that have one.
91%
Good or Outstanding
Burnley in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Burnley has 61 schools and nurseries.
There are 14% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
38% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Burnley's state schools each January.
Up 14% 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.
Burnley38%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Burnley has 61 schools, including 27 primary schools, 14 secondary schools, 22 nurseries, 6 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 Burnley on Eduscope are Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School, Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School, Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary 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.
91% of inspected schools in Burnley hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 7 schools rated Outstanding and 22 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Burnley, 55% 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 Burnley is 17.0:1. 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 Burnley is 22.4%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 12,446 pupils enrolled across schools in Burnley, with 6,698 in primary and 5,052 in secondary. 37.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 6 independent schools in Burnley. 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 Burnley 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 61 schools in Burnley 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.
