In the 2023/24 academic there were 32,149 schools in the United Kingdom, 601 schools fewer than there were in the 2010/11 academic year. Throughout most of this period, there has been a steady decline in the number of schools, with a slight uptick noticeable after 2019/20, when there were just 32,028 schools. Concrete crisis at UK schools in 2023 Due to its affordability, many schools built in the UK from the 1950s to the 1990s used reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Although not inherently unsafe, RAAC is a less durable version of standard concrete, and has a typically shorter lifespan. The issue of RAAC in schools suddenly became more urgent in 2018, when a school roof collapsed, confirming fears that RAAC structures weakened over time. Just before schools returned for the 2023/24 academic year, 147 schools in England were confirmed as having issues with RAAC, with 19 of these forced to delay the start of the school year, and a further four opting for fully remote learning. Number of UK pupils falls in 2023/24 After reaching a peak of 10.7 million in the 2022/23 academic year, the number of school pupils in the UK fell to 10.63 million in the following academic year. In the same year, the number of full-time teachers in the UK reached a high of 643,491, up from just 621,718 in the 2017/18 academic year. Although the pupil to teacher ratio at UK schools has overall been quite stable in recent years, there was a surge in the pupil to teacher ratio at nursery schools between 2012/13 and 2018/19, rising from 17.5 teachers per pupil, to 22.9

In 2023/24 there were 20,739 primary schools in the United Kingdom, a slight decrease when compared with the previous academic year. Since 2010/11 the overall number of primary schools in the UK has fallen by approximately 542 schools.

In the United Kingdom, there were 4,181 secondary schools in the 2023/24 academic year compared with 4,121 in 2010/11. In the provided time period, the number of secondary schools in the UK has fluctuated between a low of 4,072 schools in 2011/12 and a high of 4,204 schools in 2021/22.

Information on all schools in England including local authority maintained schools, academies, free schools, studio schools, university technical colleges and independent schools. The information includes address, school type and phone number. This information comes from EduBase, DfE’s register of schools, and will be updated every month. http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/home.xhtml

In 2024 there were approximately 1,411 private or independent schools in the United Kingdom, compared with 1,374 in 2020.

Absence of day pupils in schools in England. The dataset includes the total number of day pupils of compulsory school age, the total number of possible pupil sessions (also known as pupil half days) and the percentage of half days missed due to authorised absence, unauthorised absence and total absence in all schools. Figures covering maintained Primary and Secondary schools only for these variables are also included. Figures refer to area of residence rather than school location

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

Publisher: Neighbourhood Statistics

Geographies: Middle Layer Super Output Area (MSOA), Local Authority District (LAD), Government Office Region (GOR)

Geographic coverage: England

Time coverage: 2006/07, 2007/08

Type of data: Administrative data

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data was reported at 70.828 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 69.494 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data is updated yearly, averaging 27.445 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2015, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 70.828 % in 2015 and a record low of 24.869 % in 2007. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

United Kingdom UK: Secondary Education: Pupils: % Female data was reported at 49.596 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 49.805 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: Secondary Education: Pupils: % Female data is updated yearly, averaging 49.195 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.921 % in 2013 and a record low of 48.422 % in 1971. United Kingdom UK: Secondary Education: Pupils: % Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Education Statistics. Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at secondary level includes enrollments in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Table shows numbers of all Schools and Pupils by Type of School.

School types included in this publication are State-Funded Primary, Secondary and Special schools, Independent schools, Pupil Referral Units, and Alternative Provision.

See DfE website

Full daily dataset of all schools and pupil numbers are available from the DFE EduBase site

Cartogram created from this data:

This is a point dataset compiled using the Department for Educations Schools in England dataset and has been published by Esri UK. This dataset is updated monthly. This point dataset is reflective of the December 2014 update showing the open schools for this month.

The points were created using OS Open Data.

The statistical first release “Income and Expenditure in Schools” will be a national summary of schools’ income and expenditure utilising the full range of data schools provide to the Department in their Consistent Financial Reporting returns.

Source agency: Education

Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Income and expenditure in schools in England: 2010-11

The underlying data provides breakdowns at school level. It supports published statistics between 2002 and 2009. Statistics published before 2010 are available on the UK Government Web Archive. Note: the search function is not available on archived content so please use the filters on the left of each page.

The annual school census data return is mandatory for schools to complete.