Rankings

Best school ratings in England by area

Q: Which areas in the UK have the best schools?

15 English local authorities tie at 100% of schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. Among them are Camden, Hackney, Newham and several other London boroughs, plus Bracknell Forest and the smaller authorities of City of London and the Isles of Scilly.

Q: Where is the best place to live with children in the UK?

8 English areas combine schools rated above 85% Good or Outstanding, below-average crime and below-average single-person living costs. Names near the top of that list include Warrington, Rutland, York. School quality is only one of the factors families weigh, alongside safety and affordability.

Q: What do Ofsted ratings mean?

Outstanding is the top rating and means the school is exceptional across the evaluation areas. Good means it is effective. Requires Improvement means the school is not yet good enough. Inadequate means serious concerns were found. Ofsted changed its framework in November 2025 and is phasing in a set of nine evaluation areas over time; this ranking uses the original overall rating where available.

Q: Why do all the shire districts in one county share the same figure?

Ofsted publishes school data at the local-education-authority level. In shire counties like Kent, Hampshire or Devon, the county council runs schools across every district. Ashford, Canterbury and Dover all share Kent's county-wide figure because they share Kent County Council as their education authority.

Q: Does this cover Scotland and Wales?

No. Ofsted inspects schools in England only. Scotland has Education Scotland and Wales has Estyn, each with their own framework. This ranking covers English local authorities only.

The best-rated schools by area in England are concentrated in London and the South East. Across the 313 English local authorities in the ranking, 87.4% of schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. A total of 15 areas tie at 100%.

Data last updated: 1 September 2026

Every English local authority ranked by the percentage of schools rated Good or Outstanding at their most recent Ofsted inspection, based on Ofsted's "most recent inspections" release (31 March 2026). 15 areas tie at 100%, including Camden, Hackney and Newham.

This ranking covers England only. Scotland and Wales use different school inspection frameworks (Education Scotland and Estyn) and are not comparable to Ofsted's ratings. Districts within shire counties inherit their county council's figure because education is run at county level in those areas.

#	Area	Region	Good or Outstanding	Total schools	Avg. rent (£/mo)	Avg. earnings (£/yr)
1	Newham	London	100.0%	102	£1,912	£36,080
2	Enfield	London	100.0%	97	£1,770	£34,962
3	Warrington	North West	100.0%	88	£880	£34,144
4	Hounslow	London	100.0%	76	£1,907	£35,301
5	Hackney	London	100.0%	73	£2,598	£40,237
6	Richmond upon Thames	London	100.0%	60	£2,302	£46,594
7	Hammersmith and Fulham	London	100.0%	59	£2,724	£42,811
8	Camden	London	100.0%	57	£2,654	£44,088
9	Merton	London	100.0%	56	£2,083	£43,507
10	Kingston upon Thames	London	100.0%	52	£1,796	£41,833
11	Westminster	London	100.0%	52	£3,122	£45,172
12	Bracknell Forest	South East	100.0%	38	£1,501	£36,067
13	Rutland	East Midlands	100.0%	20	£968	£39,559
14	City of London	London	100.0%	1	N/A	N/A
15	Isles of Scilly	South West	100.0%	1	N/A	N/A
16	Southwark	London	97.9%	101	£2,388	£43,006
17	Bromley	London	97.6%	100	£1,670	£43,981
18	Haringey	London	97.2%	82	£2,209	£37,563
19	Lewisham	London	97.1%	86	£1,810	£39,505
20	Gateshead	North East	96.9%	84	£785	£29,494
21	Havering	London	96.7%	82	£1,566	£40,726
22	Barnet	London	96.6%	132	£1,928	£39,239
23	Harrow	London	96.6%	60	£1,754	£36,000
24	Sutton	London	96.4%	64	£1,545	£38,359
25	Wigan	North West	96.2%	127	£732	£31,615
26	Islington	London	96.0%	63	£2,763	£47,411
27	Middlesbrough	North East	95.8%	57	£709	£30,253
28	Sunderland	North East	95.7%	116	£695	£27,989
29	Doncaster	Yorkshire and The Humber	95.5%	128	£684	£31,119
30	Milton Keynes	South East	95.3%	113	£1,329	£36,061
31	Barking and Dagenham	London	95.2%	62	£1,687	£32,911
32	Bath and North East Somerset	South West	95.1%	80	£1,876	£32,481
33	Wandsworth	London	95.0%	81	£2,593	£49,310
34	Tower Hamlets	London	94.9%	92	£2,396	£45,183
35	Calderdale	Yorkshire and The Humber	94.4%	100	£741	£31,708
36	Slough	South East	94.4%	51	£1,567	£35,521
37	Redbridge	London	94.3%	79	£1,720	£37,190
38	Barnsley	Yorkshire and The Humber	93.9%	91	£670	£31,359
39	York	Yorkshire and The Humber	93.8%	63	£1,173	£32,961
40	Stockton-on-Tees	North East	93.3%	78	£732	£29,877
41	Brent	London	92.9%	89	£1,969	£34,871
42	North Somerset	South West	92.9%	80	£1,194	£32,996
43	Blackburn with Darwen	North West	92.9%	77	£707	£27,502
44	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	South West	92.7%	100	£1,397	£31,848
45	West Northamptonshire	East Midlands	92.6%	188	£1,070	£33,059
46	Elmbridge	South East	92.5%	399	£1,832	£42,607
47	Epsom and Ewell	South East	92.5%	399	£1,682	£43,006
48	Guildford	South East	92.5%	399	£1,698	£39,985
49	Mole Valley	South East	92.5%	399	£1,545	£35,341
50	Reigate and Banstead	South East	92.5%	399	£1,628	£40,014
51	Runnymede	South East	92.5%	399	£1,567	£42,203
52	Spelthorne	South East	92.5%	399	£1,633	£37,918
53	Surrey Heath	South East	92.5%	399	£1,493	£37,793
54	Tandridge	South East	92.5%	399	£1,596	£33,316
55	Waverley	South East	92.5%	399	£1,431	£42,326
56	Woking	South East	92.5%	399	£1,615	£38,172
57	Medway	South East	92.5%	103	£1,241	£33,857
58	Greenwich	London	92.5%	88	£1,944	£39,984
59	Bolton	North West	92.3%	129	£878	£29,409
60	Ealing	London	92.3%	94	£2,051	£35,665
61	Bedford	East of England	92.3%	76	£1,163	£35,987
62	North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	92.3%	65	£614	£28,898
63	South Tyneside	North East	92.3%	62	£720	£28,784
64	Reading	South East	92.3%	61	£1,579	£35,454
65	Plymouth	South West	92.2%	98	£985	£28,992
66	Hillingdon	London	92.1%	99	£1,549	£36,429
67	Waltham Forest	London	92.0%	78	£1,753	£37,971
68	Wokingham	South East	91.7%	72	£1,479	£43,538
69	Leeds	Yorkshire and The Humber	91.5%	279	£1,130	£31,679
70	West Berkshire	South East	91.3%	83	£1,273	£38,513
71	Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	91.2%	100	£1,206	£30,144
72	Portsmouth	South East	90.9%	61	£1,357	£30,962
73	Torbay	South West	90.9%	43	£899	£28,963
74	Darlington	North East	90.9%	42	£666	£30,100
75	Kensington and Chelsea	London	90.9%	39	£3,599	£46,690
76	Barrow-in-Furness	England	90.7%	147	N/A	N/A
77	Eden	England	90.7%	147	N/A	N/A
78	South Lakeland	England	90.7%	147	N/A	N/A
79	Westmorland and Furness	North West	90.7%	147	£797	£33,988
80	Bromsgrove	West Midlands	90.4%	243	£977	£36,409
81	Malvern Hills	West Midlands	90.4%	243	£938	£28,167
82	Redditch	West Midlands	90.4%	243	£898	£29,113
83	Worcester	West Midlands	90.4%	243	£955	£32,997
84	Wychavon	West Midlands	90.4%	243	£925	£29,661
85	Wyre Forest	West Midlands	90.4%	243	£849	£29,408
86	Northumberland	North East	90.4%	168	£664	£30,456
87	Ashford	South East	90.2%	597	£1,239	£32,991
88	Canterbury	South East	90.2%	597	£1,260	£30,188
89	Dartford	South East	90.2%	597	£1,556	£36,210
90	Dover	South East	90.2%	597	£962	£33,704
91	Folkestone and Hythe	South East	90.2%	597	£1,132	£33,355
92	Gravesham	South East	90.2%	597	£1,319	£35,065
93	Maidstone	South East	90.2%	597	£1,282	£34,151
94	Sevenoaks	South East	90.2%	597	£1,781	£34,969
95	Swale	South East	90.2%	597	£1,104	£33,647
96	Thanet	South East	90.2%	597	£1,107	£28,323
97	Tonbridge and Malling	South East	90.2%	597	£1,467	£35,106
98	Tunbridge Wells	South East	90.2%	597	£1,501	£35,319
99	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	90.0%	111	£928	£31,308
100	Hull	Yorkshire and The Humber	90.0%	96	£684	£27,309
101	Sheffield	Yorkshire and The Humber	89.7%	178	£920	£31,816
102	North Northamptonshire	East Midlands	89.7%	144	£978	£32,882
103	Bradford	Yorkshire and The Humber	89.5%	209	£737	£28,424
104	Broxbourne	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,649	£37,283
105	Dacorum	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,577	£36,473
106	East Hertfordshire	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,504	£44,154
107	Hertsmere	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,787	£36,159
108	North Hertfordshire	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,408	£42,703
109	St Albans	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,912	£45,543
110	Stevenage	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,417	£35,747
111	Three Rivers	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,807	£39,615
112	Watford	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,813	£37,172
113	Welwyn Hatfield	East of England	89.4%	532	£1,468	£37,805
114	Cherwell	South East	89.3%	309	£1,289	£36,568
115	Oxford	South East	89.3%	309	£1,952	£36,517
116	South Oxfordshire	South East	89.3%	309	£1,377	£43,026
117	Vale of White Horse	South East	89.3%	309	£1,332	£38,859
118	West Oxfordshire	South East	89.3%	309	£1,270	£35,388
119	South Gloucestershire	South West	89.3%	116	£1,445	£35,002
120	Southend-on-Sea	East of England	89.3%	52	£1,278	£33,594
121	Sandwell	West Midlands	89.1%	124	£938	£27,652
122	Allerdale	England	88.9%	172	N/A	N/A
123	Carlisle	England	88.9%	172	N/A	N/A
124	Copeland	England	88.9%	172	N/A	N/A
125	Cumberland	North West	88.9%	172	£659	£33,840
126	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	88.9%	149	£709	£31,881
127	Basildon	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,396	£34,133
128	Braintree	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,227	£34,546
129	Brentwood	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,605	£39,864
130	Castle Point	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,231	£35,975
131	Chelmsford	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,442	£35,791
132	Colchester	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,216	£31,589
133	Epping Forest	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,826	£38,171
134	Harlow	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,513	£30,654
135	Maldon	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,151	£32,599
136	Rochford	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,285	£38,107
137	Tendring	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,048	£29,545
138	Uttlesford	East of England	88.6%	557	£1,285	£41,006
139	Trafford	North West	88.6%	91	£1,358	£35,593
140	Solihull	West Midlands	88.6%	83	£1,258	£36,672
141	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	88.3%	160	£959	£32,391
142	Basingstoke and Deane	South East	88.1%	530	£1,324	£39,279
143	East Hampshire	South East	88.1%	530	£1,252	£39,682
144	Eastleigh	South East	88.1%	530	£1,205	£34,474
145	Fareham	South East	88.1%	530	£1,206	£38,851
146	Gosport	South East	88.1%	530	£1,150	£34,256
147	Hart	South East	88.1%	530	£1,406	£39,341
148	Havant	South East	88.1%	530	£1,127	£30,819
149	New Forest	South East	88.1%	530	£1,234	£31,344
150	Rushmoor	South East	88.1%	530	£1,369	£33,734
151	Test Valley	South East	88.1%	530	£1,203	£35,314
152	Winchester	South East	88.1%	530	£1,498	£38,352
153	Central Bedfordshire	East of England	88.1%	129	£1,238	£36,622
154	Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	88.1%	93	£708	£29,041
155	Babergh	East of England	88.0%	321	£969	£30,118
156	East Suffolk	East of England	88.0%	321	£831	£30,261
157	Ipswich	East of England	88.0%	321	£985	£30,928
158	Mid Suffolk	East of England	88.0%	321	£973	£31,507
159	West Suffolk	East of England	88.0%	321	£1,176	£33,437
160	Birmingham	West Midlands	87.9%	443	£1,086	£30,180
161	Luton	East of England	87.9%	70	£1,211	£28,741
162	Nottingham	East Midlands	87.8%	106	£1,008	£26,512
163	Hartlepool	North East	87.5%	39	£570	£28,830
164	Ashfield	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£777	£27,797
165	Bassetlaw	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£716	£28,314
166	Broxtowe	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£963	£30,966
167	Gedling	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£891	£30,051
168	Mansfield	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£770	£28,170
169	Newark and Sherwood	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£787	£29,806
170	Rushcliffe	East Midlands	87.3%	344	£1,031	£36,705
171	Cambridge	East of England	87.3%	268	£1,795	£38,711
172	East Cambridgeshire	East of England	87.3%	268	£1,016	£34,311
173	Fenland	East of England	87.3%	268	£830	£30,125
174	Huntingdonshire	East of England	87.3%	268	£1,045	£33,375
175	South Cambridgeshire	East of England	87.3%	268	£1,399	£42,690
176	Cheltenham	South West	87.2%	300	£1,233	£36,014
177	Cotswold	South West	87.2%	300	£1,263	£32,927
178	Forest of Dean	South West	87.2%	300	£820	£36,589
179	Gloucester	South West	87.2%	300	£1,099	£30,455
180	Stroud	South West	87.2%	300	£1,036	£33,495
181	Tewkesbury	South West	87.2%	300	£983	£31,603
182	Craven	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
183	Hambleton	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
184	Harrogate	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
185	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	87.1%	352	£831	£30,683
186	Richmondshire	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
187	Ryedale	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
188	Scarborough	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
189	Selby	England	87.1%	352	N/A	N/A
190	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	87.1%	59	£640	£28,630
191	Cheshire East	North West	87.0%	156	£972	£33,221
192	Walsall	West Midlands	86.4%	122	£904	£29,112
193	Derby	East Midlands	86.3%	107	£847	£30,467
194	Amber Valley	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£784	£30,823
195	Bolsover	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£692	£29,674
196	Chesterfield	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£735	£30,621
197	Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£797	£33,700
198	Erewash	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£831	£31,673
199	High Peak	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£900	£32,258
200	North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£775	£30,931
201	South Derbyshire	East Midlands	86.2%	419	£871	£35,452
202	Lambeth	London	85.4%	86	£2,525	£43,666
203	Boston	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£793	£27,729
204	East Lindsey	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£678	£26,705
205	Lincoln	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£946	£29,824
206	North Kesteven	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£857	£30,585
207	South Holland	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£759	£30,196
208	South Kesteven	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£835	£29,071
209	West Lindsey	East Midlands	85.2%	361	£711	£30,741
210	Buckinghamshire	South East	85.1%	236	£1,467	£35,937
211	Sefton	North West	85.1%	103	£919	£29,335
212	Blaby	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£977	£31,950
213	Charnwood	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£949	£33,550
214	Harborough	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£960	£34,321
215	Hinckley and Bosworth	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£920	£31,591
216	Melton	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£790	£26,633
217	North West Leicestershire	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£899	£32,252
218	Oadby and Wigston	East Midlands	85.0%	287	£1,020	£28,368
219	Peterborough	East of England	85.0%	82	£976	£29,828
220	North Warwickshire	West Midlands	84.9%	252	£972	£35,067
221	Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	84.9%	252	£914	£32,402
222	Rugby	West Midlands	84.9%	252	£1,028	£41,814
223	Stratford-on-Avon	West Midlands	84.9%	252	£1,120	£34,847
224	Warwick	West Midlands	84.9%	252	£1,237	£39,797
225	County Durham	North East	84.6%	260	£632	£29,718
226	Cannock Chase	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£841	£30,178
227	East Staffordshire	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£833	£31,517
228	Lichfield	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£1,091	£33,763
229	Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£824	£31,205
230	South Staffordshire	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£942	£31,766
231	Stafford	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£882	£33,872
232	Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£718	£31,065
233	Tamworth	West Midlands	84.4%	410	£966	£33,167
234	Adur	South East	84.4%	286	£1,379	£30,217
235	Arun	South East	84.4%	286	£1,217	£29,809
236	Chichester	South East	84.4%	286	£1,319	£28,585
237	Crawley	South East	84.4%	286	£1,475	£34,225
238	Horsham	South East	84.4%	286	£1,444	£36,448
239	Mid Sussex	South East	84.4%	286	£1,405	£37,705
240	Worthing	South East	84.4%	286	£1,310	£32,823
241	Leicester	East Midlands	84.3%	113	£1,026	£27,858
242	Windsor and Maidenhead	South East	84.0%	66	£1,809	£37,653
243	Brighton and Hove	South East	84.0%	64	£1,826	£33,506
244	Croydon	London	83.9%	127	£1,560	£38,080
245	Wakefield	Yorkshire and The Humber	83.6%	141	£787	£29,954
246	Bexley	London	83.3%	84	£1,531	£36,883
247	Halton	North West	82.9%	66	£732	£29,819
248	Wiltshire	South West	82.8%	234	£1,056	£31,873
249	Swindon	South West	82.6%	88	£1,082	£33,135
250	Burnley	North West	82.4%	626	£624	£29,680
251	Chorley	North West	82.4%	626	£773	£33,337
252	Fylde	North West	82.4%	626	£848	£36,020
253	Hyndburn	North West	82.4%	626	£638	£29,647
254	Lancaster	North West	82.4%	626	£802	£29,651
255	Pendle	North West	82.4%	626	£645	£26,742
256	Preston	North West	82.4%	626	£778	£30,038
257	Ribble Valley	North West	82.4%	626	£803	£34,077
258	Rossendale	North West	82.4%	626	£810	£30,487
259	South Ribble	North West	82.4%	626	£787	£32,740
260	West Lancashire	North West	82.4%	626	£794	£31,884
261	Wyre	North West	82.4%	626	£717	£29,814
262	Southampton	South East	82.4%	76	£1,246	£32,907
263	Kirklees	Yorkshire and The Humber	81.8%	182	£759	£30,238
264	Dudley	West Midlands	81.8%	107	£846	£30,822
265	Salford	North West	81.0%	101	£1,161	£30,495
266	Knowsley	North West	80.8%	61	£805	£32,542
267	Breckland	East of England	80.7%	419	£909	£28,930
268	Broadland	East of England	80.7%	419	£934	£30,920
269	Great Yarmouth	East of England	80.7%	419	£816	£28,808
270	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	East of England	80.7%	419	£930	£30,581
271	North Norfolk	East of England	80.7%	419	£856	£28,421
272	Norwich	East of England	80.7%	419	£1,146	£30,421
273	South Norfolk	East of England	80.7%	419	£969	£32,934
274	Eastbourne	South East	80.6%	188	£1,160	£31,199
275	Hastings	South East	80.6%	188	£1,008	£29,323
276	Lewes	South East	80.6%	188	£1,320	£33,088
277	Rother	South East	80.6%	188	£1,162	£30,790
278	Wealden	South East	80.6%	188	£1,259	£33,376
279	Herefordshire	West Midlands	80.5%	99	£815	£29,361
280	East Devon	South West	80.2%	372	£953	£32,154
281	Exeter	South West	80.2%	372	£1,312	£29,531
282	Mid Devon	South West	80.2%	372	£869	£31,908
283	North Devon	South West	80.2%	372	£859	£28,386
284	South Hams	South West	80.2%	372	£996	£29,721
285	Teignbridge	South West	80.2%	372	£944	£28,911
286	Torridge	South West	80.2%	372	£788	£28,752
287	West Devon	South West	80.2%	372	£837	£26,556
288	Bristol	South West	80.0%	154	£1,888	£34,051
289	Tameside	North West	79.5%	98	£917	£29,877
290	Cornwall	South West	79.2%	280	£1,004	£28,210
291	Thurrock	East of England	79.2%	56	£1,344	£36,407
292	Dorset	South West	79.1%	158	£1,037	£31,444
293	Shropshire	West Midlands	78.6%	151	£803	£29,603
294	Liverpool	North West	78.4%	171	£893	£30,947
295	Coventry	West Midlands	78.0%	118	£1,021	£33,063
296	Wirral	North West	77.8%	125	£830	£32,959
297	Rotherham	Yorkshire and The Humber	77.8%	123	£678	£29,664
298	North Tyneside	North East	77.8%	79	£830	£31,106
299	Oldham	North West	77.1%	107	£910	£29,124
300	Manchester	North West	76.0%	188	£1,347	£30,067
301	St. Helens	North West	75.9%	70	£774	£31,443
302	Rochdale	North West	75.6%	90	£824	£29,535
303	North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	75.0%	80	£631	£30,012
304	Bury	North West	74.4%	84	£965	£31,687
305	Stockport	North West	74.1%	116	£1,091	£33,565
306	Mendip	England	72.1%	268	N/A	N/A
307	Sedgemoor	England	72.1%	268	N/A	N/A
308	Somerset	South West	72.1%	268	£980	£29,908
309	Somerset West and Taunton	England	72.1%	268	N/A	N/A
310	South Somerset	England	72.1%	268	N/A	N/A
311	Isle of Wight	South East	69.6%	47	£940	£26,740
312	Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	68.6%	77	£850	£31,459
313	Blackpool	North West	58.3%	43	£696	£27,979

Which areas in the UK have the best schools?

15 English local authorities have every one of their schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted at the most recent inspection. That group is dominated by inner and outer London boroughs, where sustained investment and a competitive schools market have pushed ratings up across the board.

The 100% club includes Camden, Hackney, Newham, Hounslow and Kingston upon Thames, plus a small handful of authorities outside the capital: Bracknell Forest, City of London and the Isles of Scilly. The ten areas immediately below them all sit above 97%, so the top of the table is very tightly packed.

"Best rated" is a specific measure. It captures how well schools have inspected against Ofsted's framework at their most recent inspection, which can be several years ago for many schools. It doesn't tell you about specific exam results, oversubscription rates, or how a school will fit your child. Each area profile splits Outstanding from Good and shows the counts by phase, which is often more useful than the headline percentage.

Where is the best place to live with children?

School quality is only one factor families weigh when choosing where to live. Safety and affordability sit alongside it, and areas that score well across all three are the ones most likely to reward a longer look.

Filtering to areas with schools rated above 85% Good or Outstanding, below-average recorded crime, and below-average single-person monthly costs surfaces 35 candidates across England. Names near the top of that list include Warrington (100% schools, £1,084 monthly cost), Rutland (100%, £1,196), York (93.8%, £1,364) and Bedford (92.3%, £1,369).

Below them, Northumberland, East Riding of Yorkshire and Maldon also clear all three thresholds and are worth knowing about if a shortlist that balances schools with safety and cost is what you are after. Two useful companions to this ranking are the safest places to live list and the best value places to live ranking.

Which UK cities are best for families?

Among England's major cities, Sunderland leads on school ratings at 95.7% Good or Outstanding, with living costs around £878 a month for one person. London's aggregate figure of 95.2% is higher still, but hides significant variation between boroughs (from the 15 at 100% down to Bromley and Havering in the low 90s).

The rest of the top-five cities read: Plymouth at 92.2% (£1,188/mo), Leeds at 91.5% (£1,320/mo), Newcastle upon Tyne at 91.2% (£1,418/mo), and Wolverhampton at 90% (£1,140/mo). Several northern cities post very strong Ofsted numbers alongside costs well below the national average, which is a notable pattern once you look past the London-heavy top of the table.

What do Ofsted ratings mean?

Ofsted's original ratings run in four tiers: Outstanding for schools performing exceptionally well across the evaluation areas, Good for schools that are effective, Requires Improvement for schools that are not yet good enough, and Inadequate as the lowest rating (which typically triggers intervention). Most schools nationally sit in the Good category.

Ofsted changed its framework in November 2025. Newly inspected schools now receive up to nine separate area grades on a five-point scale rather than a single overall rating. Only a few hundred schools have been inspected under the renewed framework so far, so most areas' figures still reflect the original overall rating.

How do school ratings vary across England?

Region-level averages spread from 95.7% in London at the top down to 82.6% in North West. London is well clear of the rest of the country; the North East and Yorkshire cluster in the high 80s; the North West sits at the bottom of the regional list.

Within each region there is meaningful variation. In the same region you can find an authority at 95% next to one at 78% because local factors (recent inspection cycles, deprivation, geography, school-type mix) all pull on the number. The regional average is a useful sanity check, but reading down the table by region tells a fuller story.

Are the best school areas also the most expensive?

In many cases, yes. The overlap between "high Ofsted ratings" and "high housing costs" is well documented, and several inner-London boroughs at 100% Good or Outstanding also sit high on the cost of living rankings. Estate agents have priced schools into house prices for decades.

The exceptions are the most useful editorial content on this page. 22 English areas post schools ratings above 90% Good or Outstanding alongside single-person living costs below the £1,412 national average. The strongest names on that list are Warrington (100% schools, £1,084/mo), Rutland (100%, £1,196), Gateshead (96.9%, £1,011), Wigan (96.2%, £911), Middlesbrough (95.8%, £921) and Sunderland (95.7%, £878).

The list skews heavily to the North East and Yorkshire. Council tax bands run higher there than in London, but rents are much lower, and the combined single-person monthly cost lands well under the national average. If the top of the schools ranking looks priced out of reach, the northern value tier is where the useful shortlists start.

Data and methodology: figures come from Ofsted's "State-funded schools inspections and outcomes as at 31 March 2026" release. The Good or Outstanding percentage is calculated from schools whose most recent inspection was under the original framework (with an Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate overall grade). Schools inspected only under the renewed framework (from November 2025) are counted in each area's total but excluded from the percentage; they are surfaced separately on each area profile. Districts in shire counties inherit their county council's figure because Ofsted publishes coverage at the education-authority level. The ranking covers 313 English areas; the cross-reference sections above use the 249 areas where schools, crime and cost data are all available. Wales (Estyn) and Scotland (Education Scotland) are not included. If you want the flip side of this ranking, see the lowest school ratings by area.

Key findings

15 English areas have 100% of their schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.
Warrington tops the "strong schools, low crime, below-average cost" list.
The average across the 313 ranked areas is 87.4%.
London leads the regional average at 95.7%; North West sits at 82.6%.

Methodology

Coverage: Ofsted, most recent inspection outcomes for state-funded schools as at 31 March 2026. The Good or Outstanding percentage is based on schools whose most recent full inspection was under the original framework (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate). Schools inspected only under the renewed framework (November 2025 onwards) are counted in totals but excluded from the percentage. Ofsted publishes at the education-authority level; districts in shire counties (e.g. Kent, Hampshire) inherit their county's figure. Scotland and Wales use separate inspection bodies (Education Scotland and Estyn) and are not included in this England-only ranking.

Read more about our data sources and approach on the About page.

Frequently asked questions about school ratings

Which areas in the UK have the best schools?

Where is the best place to live with children in the UK?

What do Ofsted ratings mean?

Why do all the shire districts in one county share the same figure?

Does this cover Scotland and Wales?

Use this research

Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to cite and share this analysis. Please include a follow link back to this page when referencing our data. For bespoke analysis, expert comment, or high-resolution graphics, get in touch via our press office.

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, and MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data. All data is published under the Open Government Licence.