A town in County Durham
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 above England in 2026. Fewer pupils miss a lot of school than across England.
Durham at a glance
How Durham'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.
15 mainstream schools in Durham, best first
Results well above the England average.
48 first choices, 43 offers made
Met the standard at 1187%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
54 first choices, 56 offers made
Met the standard at 1185%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
21 first choices, 21 offers made
Met the standard at 1173%
England 62%
4 mainstream schools in Durham, best first
Results well above the England average.
215 first choices, 222 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.5
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
328 first choices, 257 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.3
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
212 first choices, 185 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.6
England 46.2
8 in Durham, highest Ofsted grade first
Durham, DH1 1GG · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Durham, DH1 1TA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Durham, DH1 2EY · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
6 in Durham, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
215 first choices, 222 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.5
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
328 first choices, 257 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.3
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
172 first choices, 209 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.9
England 46.2
1 in Durham. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Durham, DH1 5WB · Special · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
1 in Durham. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Dh1 4sz · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 18
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 Durham school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 7 inspected are Good or better.
8nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 72% met the standard at 11.
17schools
Ages 11 to 16
The one inspected is Good or better. 56% got grade 5 in English and maths.
6schools
The one inspected is Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
1school
Here's how Durham'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.
DurhamEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 12 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.
72%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
56%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
16%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
21%
Latest graded inspection for the 15 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Durham in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Durham has 30 schools and nurseries.
There are 6% more pupils than in 2018.
21% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Durham's state schools each January.
Up 6% 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.
Durham21%
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.
Durham has 30 schools, including 17 primary schools, 6 secondary schools, 8 nurseries, 1 independent school, 1 special school. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Durham on Eduscope are Framwellgate Moor Primary School, St Margaret's Church of England Primary School, St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham. 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 Durham hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 2 schools rated Outstanding and 13 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Durham, 72% 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 Durham is 17.9:1. 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 Durham is 15.6%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 10,088 pupils enrolled across schools in Durham, with 3,036 in primary and 5,305 in secondary. 19.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There is 1 independent school in Durham. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare it 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 30 schools in Durham 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.
