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Schools across North Yorkshire

Local authority · 382 schools across 48 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to North Yorkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to North Yorkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in North Yorkshire →

Schools in North Yorkshire (382)

Showing 20 of 382 schools

Total Schools

382

290 primary · 44 secondary

Total Pupils

85,425

82% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

125

6 outstanding · 119 good

Capacity

104,042

18,617 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

119
255
Outstanding: 6
Good: 119
Requires Improvement: 2
Not inspected: 255

Best Schools in North Yorkshire

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

39.4

GCSE Eng+Maths

37.3%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

82% full
41,789 pupils50,972 capacity

9,183 spare places

Secondary Schools

83% full
36,205 pupils43,562 capacity

7,357 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.6%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

12.6%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

331

2024/25

Absence trend across North Yorkshire schools

4.2%
18/19
3.9%
20/21
6.9%
21/22
6.1%
22/23
6.1%
23/24
5.6%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

76%

Plans Issued

1,144

Assessment Requests

1,412

Tribunal Cases

2

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

90%
2019
25%
2020
14%
2021
33%
2022
45%
2023
25%
2024
76%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

6,505 admissions

86

Lodged

(1.3%)

53

Heard

10

Successful

(19%)

Primary (infant classes)

5,652 admissions

65

Lodged

(1.2%)

42

Heard

9

Successful

(21%)

Secondary

7,370 admissions

207

Lodged

(2.8%)

148

Heard

33

Successful

(22%)

Total

13,875 admissions

293

Lodged

(2.1%)

201

Heard

43

Successful

(21%)

Total appeals lodged per year

1232
2019
1323
2020
982
2021
882
2022
852
2023
750
2024
624
2025
651
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in North Yorkshire

Harrogate

51 schools

York

45 schools

Scarborough

34 schools

Skipton

27 schools

Selby

22 schools

Northallerton

20 schools

Whitby

19 schools

Thirsk

17 schools

Ripon

16 schools

Richmond

15 schools

Malton

13 schools

Knaresborough

9 schools

Keighley

9 schools

Bedale

8 schools

Leeds

7 schools

Catterick Garrison

7 schools

Tadcaster

7 schools

Leyburn

6 schools

Middlesbrough

6 schools

Pickering

6 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in North Yorkshire

How many schools are there in North Yorkshire?

North Yorkshire has 382 open schools: 290 state primary, 44 state secondary or all-through, 18 independent, 20 special and 10 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in North Yorkshire are rated Outstanding?

24 schools in North Yorkshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Outwood Primary Academy Alne, Cambrai Primary School, Ryedale School, Dishforth Airfield Community Primary School, Askwith Primary School and 19 more. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 307 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Outwood Primary Academy AlneCambrai Primary SchoolRyedale SchoolDishforth Airfield Community Primary SchoolAskwith Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in North Yorkshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 46 schools in North Yorkshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Ripon Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 69.9 and 92% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Skipton Girls' High School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 67.5 and 87% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Ermysted's Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 64.3 and 84% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Ripon Grammar SchoolSkipton Girls' High SchoolErmysted's Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in North Yorkshire have the best SATs results?

7 of the 232 primary schools in North Yorkshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Askwith Primary School, Austwick Church of England VA Primary School and Birstwith Church of England Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Askwith Primary SchoolAustwick Church of England VA Primary SchoolBirstwith Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in North Yorkshire?

Yes. Ermysted's Grammar School, Ripon Grammar School and Skipton Girls' High School are state grammar schools in North Yorkshire. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Ermysted's Grammar SchoolRipon Grammar SchoolSkipton Girls' High School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in North Yorkshire have catchment areas?

Most state schools in North Yorkshire have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, North Yorkshire allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in North Yorkshire?

Apply to North Yorkshire through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables