A town in Lincolnshire
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 above England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Gainsborough at a glance
How Gainsborough'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.
9 mainstream schools in Gainsborough, best first
Results well below the England average.
31 first choices, 28 offers made
Met the standard at 1152%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
32 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1171%
England 62%
Results well below the England average.
43 first choices, 44 offers made
Met the standard at 1140%
England 62%
2 mainstream schools in Gainsborough, best first
Gainsborough, DN21 2ST · State · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Results well above the England average.
222 first choices, 188 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1662.0
England 46.2
Results well below the England average.
137 first choices, 155 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1633.1
England 46.2
7 in Gainsborough, highest Ofsted grade first
Gainsborough, DN21 1NL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Gainsborough, DN21 2DY · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Gainsborough, DN21 2RR · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 4
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
2 in Gainsborough, by the school's Eduscope score
Gainsborough, DN21 2ST · State · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Results well above the England average.
222 first choices, 188 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1662.0
England 46.2
Gainsborough, DN21 1PB · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
3 in Gainsborough. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Gainsborough, DN21 1PB · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Gainsborough, DN21 1PU · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Morton, DN21 3AD · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
3 in Gainsborough. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Gainsborough, DN21 2JB · Independent · Primary · Ages 3 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Gainsborough, DN21 2SU · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 16
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Morton, DN21 3AD · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
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 Gainsborough school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 5 inspected are Good or better.
7nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 42% met the standard at 11.
12schools
Ages 11 to 16
1 Good, 1 need to improve. 51% got grade 5 in English and maths.
5schools
The one inspected is Good or better. About 11 pupils per teacher.
3schools
Here's how Gainsborough'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.
GainsboroughEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 5 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
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.
42%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
51%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
24%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
52%
Latest graded inspection for the 9 schools that have one.
89%
Good or Outstanding
Gainsborough in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Gainsborough has 23 schools and nurseries.
There are 2% more pupils than in 2018.
52% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Gainsborough's state schools each January.
Up 2% 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.
Gainsborough52%
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.
Gainsborough has 23 schools, including 12 primary schools, 5 secondary schools, 7 nurseries, 3 independent schools, 3 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Gainsborough on Eduscope are The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough, Benjamin Adlard Primary School, Morton Trentside Primary 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.
89% of inspected schools in Gainsborough hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 0 schools rated Outstanding and 8 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Gainsborough, 42% 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 Gainsborough is 17.3:1. 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 Gainsborough is 23.5%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 4,197 pupils enrolled across schools in Gainsborough, with 2,032 in primary and 2,057 in secondary. 42.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 3 independent schools in Gainsborough. 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 Gainsborough 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 23 schools in Gainsborough 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.
