A town in Norfolk
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are above England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Downham Market at a glance
How Downham Market'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.
2 mainstream schools in Downham Market, best first
Results well above the England average.
57 first choices, 56 offers made
Met the standard at 1171%
England 62%
Results close to the England average.
43 first choices, 45 offers made
Met the standard at 1163%
England 62%
1 mainstream schools in Downham Market, best first
Results below the England average.
175 first choices, 193 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.5
England 46.2
4 in Downham Market, highest Ofsted grade first
Downham Market, PE38 9JE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Downham Market, PE38 9ND · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Downham Market, PE38 9QG · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
1 in Downham Market, by the school's Eduscope score
Results below the England average.
175 first choices, 193 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.5
England 46.2
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 Downham Market school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
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.
Downham MarketEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 2 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.
67%
England 62%
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.
22%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
24%
Latest graded inspection for the 3 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Downham Market in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Downham Market has 7 schools and nurseries.
There are 3% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
24% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Downham Market's state schools each January.
Up 3% 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.
Downham Market24%
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.
Downham Market has 7 schools, including 2 primary schools, 1 secondary school, 4 nurseries. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Downham Market on Eduscope are Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School, Downham Market Academy, Nelson 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 Downham Market hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 0 schools rated Outstanding and 3 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Downham Market, 67% 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 Downham Market 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 Downham Market is 21.5%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 2,119 pupils enrolled across schools in Downham Market, with 790 in primary and 1,329 in secondary. 25.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 7 schools in Downham Market 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.
