A town in Halton
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, fewer than across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Runcorn at a glance
How Runcorn'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.
28 mainstream schools in Runcorn, best first
Runcorn, WA7 2TP · State · Primary · Ages 3 to 11
Results well above the England average.
24 first choices, 24 offers made
Met the standard at 1172%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
16 first choices, 17 offers made
Met the standard at 1183%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
33 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1173%
England 62%
4 mainstream schools in Runcorn, best first
Results below the England average.
158 first choices, 148 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1643.2
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
216 first choices, 223 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1641.0
England 46.2
Results well below the England average.
93 first choices, 96 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1637.0
England 46.2
23 in Runcorn, highest Ofsted grade first
Runcorn, WA7 4JJ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Runcorn, WA7 2NL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Runcorn, WA7 2JE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
2 in Runcorn, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well below the England average.
93 first choices, 96 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1637.0
England 46.2
Runcorn, WA7 4YX · 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 Runcorn. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Runcorn, WA7 4YX · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Wa7 4td · Independent · Secondary · Ages 14 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Runcorn, WA7 4UN · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
2 in Runcorn. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Wa7 4td · Independent · Secondary · Ages 14 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Runcorn, WA7 4UN · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 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 Runcorn school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 21 inspected are Good or better.
23nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
84% Good or better. 59% met the standard at 11.
29schools
Ages 11 to 16
The one inspected is Good or better. 32% got grade 5 in English and maths.
9schools
All 3 inspected are Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
3schools
Here's how Runcorn'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.
RuncornEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 19 primaries with one.
84%
England 96%
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.
59%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
32%
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.
45%
Latest graded inspection for the 24 schools that have one.
88%
Good or Outstanding
Runcorn in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Runcorn has 60 schools and nurseries.
There are 11% fewer pupils than in 2018.
45% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Runcorn's state schools each January.
Down 11% 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.
Runcorn45%
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.
Runcorn has 60 schools, including 29 primary schools, 9 secondary schools, 23 nurseries, 2 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 Runcorn on Eduscope are Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School, Castle View Primary School, St Berteline's CofE 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.
88% of inspected schools in Runcorn hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is below the England average of 94.8%. This includes 1 school rated Outstanding and 20 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Runcorn, 59% 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 Runcorn is 16.1:1. 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 Runcorn is 24.4%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 8,532 pupils enrolled across schools in Runcorn, with 4,263 in primary and 4,269 in secondary. 44.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 2 independent schools in Runcorn, all special schools for children with special educational needs, where councils usually pay the fees. You can compare them on Eduscope, including inspection reports where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 60 schools in Runcorn 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.
