Luton’s state schools outscore 60% of towns in England
In reading, writing and maths together, 64% of Luton’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, above Bedfordshire’s towns (53%) and close to towns in England (62%). 74 state-funded schools are located in Luton’s built-up area. Luton grades B for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #1 of 31 in Bedfordshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Hillborough Junior School, 36% of pupils are on free school meals and 86% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 59%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Luton grades B for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (64% meet the standard)Better than 61% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (46.5 and 46%)Better than 54% of towns in England
Each of Luton’s 41 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Luton’s 13 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolLuton’s average school
The primary figure: 42 primaries in the town, 9,934 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 13 secondaries in the town, 3,097 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Luton’s 74 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Luton’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondarySpecial, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 9% at St Christophers Academy to 46% at Whitefield Primary Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Hillborough Junior School does best: 86% with 36% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 59%. 20 of 40 primaries and 7 of 13 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Luton
Luton Council handles applications for every state school in Luton, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 6 of Luton’s 62 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 13 schools are at or over it.
Cardinal Newman118%
St Christophers incl. nursery118%
Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre incl. nursery113%
The Chalk Hills113%
Ramridge incl. nursery112%
Hillborough Infant incl. nursery110%
Hadrian109%
The Vale incl. nursery107%
Waulud incl. nursery106%
Leagrave incl. nursery104%
Show all 61 schools
Denbigh High101%
Icknield High100%
Chiltern100%
Challney High School for Girls100%
Stopsley incl. nursery100%
Hillborough Junior99%
The Stockwood Park99%
Challney High School for Boys99%
St Matthew's98%
Putteridge High98%
Beechwood incl. nursery98%
Lealands High98%
Ferrars Junior97%
Icknield97%
Denbigh97%
Downside97%
Tennyson Road97%
Southfield incl. nursery96%
Putteridge96%
Dallow96%
Bramingham95%
Wigmore95%
Beech Hill incl. nursery94%
River Bank94%
Whitefield incl. nursery94%
Crawley Green Infant94%
St Margaret of Scotland incl. nursery94%
Pirton Hill93%
Warden Hill Junior93%
Farley Junior93%
Cutenhoe Hill incl. nursery92%
St Martin De Porres incl. nursery90%
Whipperley Infant89%
Chantry incl. nursery89%
Someries Junior88%
William Austin Infant87%
Parklea87%
Wenlock86%
Bushmead incl. nursery86%
The Linden85%
Queen Elizabeth84%
William Austin Junior83%
The Ferrars incl. nursery83%
Norton Road83%
Foxdell82%
Sacred Heart81%
The Meads81%
Stopsley High77%
Warden Hill Infant77%
Lea Manor High76%
Maidenhall75%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
74 state schools in Luton
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Luton’s schoolsA10B21C22D219 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 10 of Luton’s 74 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Chiltern Learning TrustChiltern, Challney High School for Boys, Putteridge High, Denbigh High, Challney High School for Girls, Lea Manor High, Dallow
7
7,306
A−BB+A−A−CC
Pioneer Learning TrustChantry, Whitefield, Southfield, Ferrars Junior, The Ferrars, Warden Hill Infant
6
2,395
A−B−B−C+
St Thomas Catholic Academies TrustCardinal Newman, St Margaret of Scotland, St Martin De Porres, Sacred Heart, St Joseph's
5
2,795
BA−B−B−B
Advantage SchoolsThe Chalk Hills, The Stockwood Park, The Vale, The Linden
4
4,110
C+DB+C
Whipperley Academy TrustFarley Junior, Whipperley Infant
2
575
C+
Icknield High SchoolIcknield High
1
1,452
B+
Middlesex Learning TrustStopsley High
1
1,046
C+
Active Education Academy TrustRiver Bank
1
793
A−
Tennyson Learning CommunityTennyson Road
1
724
A+
Hadrian Academy TrustHadrian
1
394
C+
Bedfordshire Schools Trust LimitedSt Christophers
1
388
C
Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy TrustWenlock
1
311
D−
Lime TrustLime Academy Hartwell
1
121
—
Luton CouncilQueen Elizabeth, Lealands High, Downside, Beech Hill, St Matthew's, Beechwood, Bushmead, Maidenhall, Icknield, Denbigh, Putteridge, Wigmore, Parklea, Foxdell, The Meads, William Austin Junior, Stopsley, Ramridge, Leagrave, Waulud, Warden Hill Junior, Bramingham, Pirton Hill, Cutenhoe Hill, Hillborough Junior, Norton Road, Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre, William Austin Infant, Hillborough Infant, Richmond Hill, Lady Zia Wernher, Woodlands Secondary, Crawley Green Infant, Someries Junior, Grasmere Nursery, Chapel Street Nursery, Rothesay Nursery, Pastures Way Nursery, The Gill Blowers Nursery, Hart Hill Nursery, Willow Nursery, Avenue Centre for Education
42
19,040
CC−B+C+CC−B−CB−A−B+C−CB−BBB+CA+B−C+C+C−B−A+C−B−
After 16
Where Luton’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
4 of Luton’s 13 state secondaries have sixth forms: Cardinal Newman, Queen Elizabeth, The Chalk Hills and The Stockwood Park. Luton Sixth Form College, a further-education college, is in the city.
Special schools and alternative provision in Luton
Luton has 4 special schools (Lady Zia Wernher, Lime Academy Hartwell, Richmond Hill and Woodlands Secondary: 929 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Luton Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Luton Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
34th of 46 English towns and cities of 163,000 to 315,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Luton, and the top and bottom of the group.
Kensworth 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.2 mi
C−
60%
40.2
Markyate 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.2 mi
C
58%
—
Barton-le-Clay 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5 mi
D−
47%
—
Slip End has the best-graded schools nearby (B+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Luton: 7% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Luton
Are schools in Luton good?
Luton’s state schools earn a B against schools across England: primary results beat 61% of towns in England; secondary results beat 54% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Luton council.
What is the best secondary school in Luton?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Denbigh High School: Attainment 8 of 54.3 and 60% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Luton?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Hillborough Junior School: 86% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Luton secondary schools have sixth forms?
4 of 13 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Luton?
Through Luton Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Luton are full?
13 of 61 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Luton?
74 open state-funded schools are located in Luton’s built-up area: 49 primary, 13 secondary and 12 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
