A town in Devon
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 above England in 2026. Attendance is close to the England figure.
Exeter at a glance
How Exeter'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.
26 mainstream schools in Exeter, best first
Results well above the England average.
103 first choices, 90 offers made
Met the standard at 1171%
England 62%
Exeter, EX4 6PG · Academy · Primary · Ages 3 to 11
Results well above the England average.
22 first choices, 22 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
40 first choices, 40 offers made
Met the standard at 1166%
England 62%
5 mainstream schools in Exeter, best first
Results above the England average.
335 first choices, 236 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1650.9
England 46.2
Results above the England average.
189 first choices, 191 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1649.2
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
147 first choices, 186 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1645.6
England 46.2
34 in Exeter, highest Ofsted grade first
Exeter, EX2 5DW · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Exeter, EX2 9AF · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Exeter, EX2 7LL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
5 in Exeter, by the school's Eduscope score
Exeter, EX4 3PU · Sixth Form · Ages 16 to 19
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Exeter, EX1 3RW · Special · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Exeter, EX2 4NU · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
7 in Exeter. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Exeter, EX4 8AD · Independent · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Exeter, EX2 8PU · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 17
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Exeter, EX1 3RW · Special · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
6 in Exeter. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Exeter, EX4 8AD · Independent · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Exeter, EX2 8PU · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 17
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Exeter, EX2 4NU · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 18
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.
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 Exeter school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
7 Outstanding, 21 Good, 1 need to improve.
34nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
63% Good or better. 58% met the standard at 11.
37schools
Ages 11 to 16
2 Good, 1 need to improve. 52% got grade 5 in English and maths.
17schools
1 Outstanding, 2 Good, 2 need to improve. About 6 pupils per teacher.
7schools
Here's how Exeter'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.
ExeterEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 19 primaries with one.
63%
England 96%
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
2 of the 3 with a grade.
67%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
58%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
52%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
18%
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 31 schools that have one.
71%
Good or Outstanding
Exeter in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Exeter has 80 schools and nurseries.
There are 8% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
25% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Exeter's state schools each January.
Up 8% 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.
Exeter25%
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.
Exeter has 80 schools, including 37 primary schools, 17 secondary schools, 34 nurseries, 6 independent schools, 7 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Exeter on Eduscope are St Leonard's (CofE) Primary School, St Sidwell's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, St Peter's Church of England Aided School. 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.
71% of inspected schools in Exeter hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 3 schools rated Outstanding and 19 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Exeter, 58% 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 Exeter is 18.1:1. 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 Exeter is 18.2%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 15,201 pupils enrolled across schools in Exeter, with 8,656 in primary and 6,217 in secondary. 24.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 6 independent schools in Exeter. 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 Exeter 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 80 schools in Exeter 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.
