A town in Cumberland
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. Attendance is close to the England figure.
Carlisle at a glance
How Carlisle'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.
21 mainstream schools in Carlisle, best first
Results above the England average.
71 first choices, 59 offers made
Met the standard at 1169%
England 62%
Results close to the England average.
Met the standard at 1160%
England 62%
Results below the England average.
15 first choices, 15 offers made
Met the standard at 1155%
England 62%
4 mainstream schools in Carlisle, best first
Results below the England average.
181 first choices, 171 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1641.5
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
205 first choices, 253 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1639.4
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
227 first choices, 201 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.4
England 46.2
23 in Carlisle, highest Ofsted grade first
Carlisle, CA1 1LJ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Carlisle, CA2 5PG · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Carlisle, CA1 2UT · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
6 in Carlisle, by the school's Eduscope score
Results below the England average.
181 first choices, 171 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1641.5
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
205 first choices, 253 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1639.4
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
227 first choices, 201 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.4
England 46.2
2 in Carlisle. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Carlisle, CA3 0BU · 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.
Carlisle, CA1 1EJ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 13 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
2 in Carlisle. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Carlisle, CA1 1EJ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 13 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Carlisle, CA3 9PB · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
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 Carlisle school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
5 Outstanding, 14 Good, 1 need to improve.
23nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 53% met the standard at 11.
24schools
Ages 11 to 16
The one inspected is Good or better. 31% got grade 5 in English and maths.
8schools
All 2 inspected are Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
2schools
Here's how Carlisle'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.
CarlisleEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 13 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
1 of the 1 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
53%
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.
19%
England 18%
Close to England
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
25%
Latest graded inspection for the 17 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Carlisle in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Carlisle has 52 schools and nurseries.
There are 9% more pupils than in 2018.
25% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Carlisle's state schools each January.
Up 9% 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.
Carlisle25%
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.
Carlisle has 52 schools, including 24 primary schools, 8 secondary schools, 23 nurseries, 2 independent schools, 2 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Carlisle on Eduscope are Belle Vue Primary School, Kingmoor Junior School, Richard Rose Morton 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.
100% of inspected schools in Carlisle hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 1 school rated Outstanding and 16 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Carlisle, 53% 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 Carlisle is 18.5:1. 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 Carlisle is 18.6%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 10,413 pupils enrolled across schools in Carlisle, with 5,786 in primary and 4,627 in secondary. 25.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 2 independent schools in Carlisle. 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 Carlisle 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 52 schools in Carlisle 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.
