A town in Devon
In short: Results at 11 are below England, and results at 16 were above England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Ilfracombe at a glance
How Ilfracombe'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 Ilfracombe, best first
Results well below the England average.
Met the standard at 1137%
England 62%
1 mainstream schools in Ilfracombe, best first
Results above the England average.
131 first choices, 131 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1650.7
England 46.2
2 in Ilfracombe, highest Ofsted grade first
Ilfracombe, EX34 8JL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Ilfracombe, EX34 8EE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
1 in Ilfracombe, by the school's Eduscope score
Results above the England average.
131 first choices, 131 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1650.7
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 Ilfracombe school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 2 inspected are Good or better.
2nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
37% met the standard at 11.
2schools
Ages 11 to 16
53% got grade 5 in English and maths.
1school
Here's how Ilfracombe'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.
IlfracombeEngland
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
37%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
53%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
23%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
33%
Ilfracombe in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Ilfracombe has 5 schools and nurseries.
There are 14% fewer pupils than in 2018.
33% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Ilfracombe's state schools each January.
Down 14% since 2018.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Ilfracombe33%
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.
Ilfracombe has 5 schools, including 2 primary schools, 1 secondary school, 2 nurseries. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Ilfracombe on Eduscope are The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy, Ilfracombe Church of England Junior 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.
Across primary schools in Ilfracombe, 37% 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 Ilfracombe is 17.7:1. 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 Ilfracombe is 22.9%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 1,549 pupils enrolled across schools in Ilfracombe, with 533 in primary and 1,016 in secondary. 27.7% 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 5 schools in Ilfracombe 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.
