There were approximately ***** million pupils attending schools in the United Kingdom in 2023/24, compared with **** million in the previous year and **** million in 2010/11.

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).

The United Kingdom: Primary school enrollment, percent of all eligible children: The latest value from 2022 is 102.41 percent, an increase from 102.04 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 100.44 percent, based on data from 149 countries. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from 1971 to 2022 is 103.51 percent. The minimum value, 99.97 percent, was reached in 2014 while the maximum of 105.94 percent was recorded in 2004.

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Female: % Gross data was reported at 127.487 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 129.876 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Female: % Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 92.658 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 129.876 % in 2014 and a record low of 76.377 % in 1971. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Female: % Gross 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. Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.; ; 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).

In 2022, approximately 84 percent of 15 year old students in the United Kingdom thought other students seemed to like them at school, with a further 75 percent believing that they made friends easily. By contrast, just over a quarter of respondents felt awkward and out of place at school.

As of 2025, there were approximately 545,640 pupils attending private or independent schools in the United Kingdom, compared with 565,550 in the previous year.

This statistic shows the number of primary school students in the United Kingdom (UK) as forecasted from 2013 to 2060. Over the ** year period, the number of primary school students is projected to increase by approximately *** million.

School enrollment, primary (% gross) in United Kingdom was reported at 102 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - School enrollment, primary (% gross) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The international student population of England and Wales by country of birth, passport held, age, sex and other characteristics.

In 2022/23 there were estimated to be over **** million students enrolled in higher education courses in the United Kingdom, which was the highest number of enrolled students during this provided time period. Although the number of students in the UK fell from *** million in 2011/12 to **** by 2014/15, this trend reversed in subsequent years, reaching the peak in the most recent year. Largest UK universities At ******* students, the mainly remote, Open University had the largest number of students enrolled among UK-based higher education institutions in 2022/23. University College London had the second-highest number of students at ******, followed by the University of Manchester at ******. At the UK's two oldest and most prestigious universities, Oxford and Cambridge, there were ******, and ****** students respectively. The university with the most students in Scotland was the University of Glasgow at *******students, with Wales' being Cardiff University at ****** students, and Northern Ireland's Ulster University having ****** students. Student Debt in the UK For students that graduated from English universities in 2024, the average student loan debt incurred over the course of their studies was over ****** British pounds. Although students graduated with less debt from universities in Wales, Northern Ireland, and especially Scotland, this too has been growing recently. In 2024, students from Scottish Universities graduated with an average of ****** pounds of debt, compared with ****** in Wales, and ****** in Northern Ireland. The overall outstanding student loan debt in the UK reached over *** billion pounds in 2023/24, with the vast majority of this debt from students who studied in England.

Following significant government support, 81.9% of secondary schools are now academies according to the government, with maintained schools increasingly converting. Both types remain under strict government guidelines, but academies can decide term dates, curriculums, subject choices and budget decisions. Despite several years of economic turmoil, government funding has remained strong because of the importance of maintaining and improving UK education standards. Secondary education revenue is expected to have grown at a compound annual rate of 1.4% to £66.1 billion over the five years through 2024-25, growing by 2.1% in 2024-25. The COVID-19 outbreak severely disrupted the day-to-day running of schools throughout 2020-21, with temporary closures forcing pupils to stay at home and learn online. The Educational Recovery Fund has supported educational catch-up, totalling around £5 billion in February 2022, preventing a significant drop in revenue during the COVID-19 outbreak. In cash terms, total funding for all state-funded schools totalled £60.7 billion in 2024-25 due to a £3.9 billion funding increase in 2024-25. Private school pupil numbers have marginally dipped, with the ISC recording a 0.1% decline in independent secondary school pupil numbers over the year through January 2024, with the cost-of-living crisis having squeezed some parents' purse strings. For the start of the 2024-25 academic year, private school enrolments were down, especially for new starters in their first year of secondary school, with the potenital for fee hikes if VAT is added in January 2025 looming. This could pose a threat to profit and place more pressure on state schools to open up available places. Secondary education revenue is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2% to £72.9 billion over the five years through 2029-30. The number of international students attending independent schools has not fallen with immigration policies, as many independent schools hold Student Visa Sponsors. With school costs still continuing to grow by 4% in 2024-25, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, school funding per pupil will remain stretched.

School enrollment, secondary (% gross) in United Kingdom was reported at 113 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - School enrollment, secondary (% gross) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Male: % Net data was reported at 98.477 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 97.452 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Male: % Net data is updated yearly, averaging 91.109 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.477 % in 2015 and a record low of 69.659 % in 1971. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Male: % Net 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. Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.; ; 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).

Census 2021 data on international student population of England and Wales by country of birth, passport held, age, sex and other characteristics.

These datasets are part of the release: The changing picture of long-term international migration, England and Wales: Census 2021. Figures may differ slightly in future releases because of the impact of removing rounding and applying further statistical processes.

Figures are based on geography boundaries as of 1 April 2022.

This release includes comparisons to the folllowing 2011 Census data:

• Students in full-time education
• International students (by Region)
• International students by country of birth
• International students by Top 100 countries of birth

Quality notes can be found here

Quality information about demography and migration can be found here

Quality information about labour market can be found here

Usual resident

A usual resident is anyone who on Census Day, 21 March 2021 was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

International student

An international student is defined as someone who was a usual resident in England and Wales and meets all the following criteria:

• in-full-time education
• non-UK-born
• non-UK passport holder
• aged 17 years or over upon most recent arrival in the UK
• aged 18 years or over on Census Day.

Country of birth

The country in which a person was born. The following country of birth classifications are used in this dataset:

• Country of birth 12a: Political groupings of countries by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Country of birth 190a: Individual countries. This classification includes geographical groupings for low volume countries.
• Country of birth (3 categories): These categories have been derived from country of birth 12a and include all UK countries in "Europe: United Kingdom", all EU countries in "Europe: EU countries" and all remaining countries including British Overseas territories in "Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)".

More information about country of birth classifications can be found here.

Passports held

The country or countries that a person holds, or is entitled to hold, a passport for. Where a person recorded having more than one passport, they were counted only once, categorised in the following priority order: 1. UK passport, 2. Irish passport, 3. Other passport. The following classifications were created for this dataset for comparability with other international migration releases:

• Passports held (4 categories): High level political groupings of passport held by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Passports held (12 categories): Political groupings of passport held by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Passports held (150 categories): Individual countries for passport held. This classification includes geographical groupings for low volume countries.

More information can be found here

Economic activity status

The economic activity status of a person on Census Day, 21 March 2021. The following classification is used in this dataset:

• Economic activity status classification status_12a

Industry

The industry worked in for those in current employment. The following classification was used for this dataset:

• Industry (current) classification 22a

Student accommodation

Student accommodation breaks down household type by typical households used by students. This includes communal establishments, all student households, households containing a single family, households containing multiple families, living with parents and living alone.

More information can be found here

Second address indicator

The second address indicator is used to define an address (in or out of the UK) a person stays at for more than 30 days per year that is not their place of usual residence. Second addresses typically include: armed forces bases, addresses used by people working away from home, a student’s home address, the address of another parent or guardian, a partner’s address, a holiday home. There are 3 categories in this classification.

Detailed description can be found here

Main language (detailed)

This is used to define a person's first or preferred language. This breaks down the responses given in the write-in option "Other, write in (including British Sign Language)". There are 95 categories in the primary classification.

More details can be found here

Proficiency in English language

Proficiency in English language is used to determine how well a person whose main language is not English (English or Welsh in Wales) feels they can speak English. There are a total number of 6 categories in this classification.

More details can be found here

In 2024/25, approximately 21.4 percent of all pupils at schools in England did not speak English as a first language, compared with 18 percent in 2015/16.

This 2014 survey asked current students in the UK about how confident they feel in general. The results were also split by the schooling background of the students. While in both cases (private and state) the disagreement with the statement was low, there was a great majority of respondents agreeing that they had confidence. When looking at the 'agree' responses, there was a discrepancy between state and private schools with ** percent of the private school students feel absolutely confident, but only ** percent of the state school students sharing that feeling, rather tending to only partially agree with the statement "I have confidence".