A town in East Sussex
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were above England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Lewes at a glance
How Lewes'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.
4 mainstream schools in Lewes, best first
Results well above the England average.
19 first choices, 24 offers made
Met the standard at 1170%
England 62%
Results close to the England average.
32 first choices, 33 offers made
Met the standard at 1160%
England 62%
Results well below the England average.
38 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1153%
England 62%
1 mainstream schools in Lewes, best first
Results close to the England average.
228 first choices, 229 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.7
England 46.2
7 in Lewes, highest Ofsted grade first
Lewes, BN7 1SP · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Lewes, BN7 1HR · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Lewes, BN7 1PL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
1 in Lewes, by the school's Eduscope score
Bn7 1xs · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
Independent school. Results well above the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1654.8
England 46.2
1 in Lewes. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Bn7 1xs · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 19
Independent school. Results well above the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1654.8
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 Lewes 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. 61% met the standard at 11.
5schools
Ages 11 to 16
The one inspected is Good or better. 53% got grade 5 in English and maths.
2schools
Here's how Lewes'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.
LewesEngland
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.
61%
England 62%
Close to England
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.
24%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
19%
Latest graded inspection for the 3 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Lewes in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Lewes has 13 schools and nurseries.
There are 12% fewer pupils than in 2018, though numbers have risen since 2025.
19% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Lewes's state schools each January.
Down 12% 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.
Lewes19%
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.
Lewes has 13 schools, including 5 primary schools, 2 secondary schools, 7 nurseries, 1 independent school. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Lewes on Eduscope are Western Road Community Primary School, Southover CofE Primary School, Priory 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.
100% of inspected schools in Lewes 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 Lewes, 61% 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 Lewes 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 Lewes is 23.6%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 2,209 pupils enrolled across schools in Lewes, with 1,056 in primary and 1,153 in secondary. 19.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There is 1 independent school in Lewes. 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 13 schools in Lewes 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.
