Exeter’s state schools: secondary results beat 67% of towns in England, primary results only 29%
Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 58% of primary pupils in Exeter, below both Devon’s towns (60%) and towns in England (62%). 41 state-funded schools are located in Exeter’s built-up area. Exeter grades B− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #20 of 47 in Devon. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Exeter’s secondary results beat 67% of English towns; its primary results beat 29%. 58% of the city’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 57% across Devon. The spread between primaries is wide: 76% at St Gabriel's CofE Primary School, 24% at Pinhoe Church of England Primary School & Nursery. Every school’s result ↓
One trust runs much of it
33 of Exeter’s 41 state schools belong to 12 academy trusts. Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust runs 7 of them, including Isca, St James, St Luke's and West Exe: 3,952 of the 5,695 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Popular schools are full
11 of 32 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including St James and St Peter's among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
After 16 it’s college
None of the 6 state secondaries in Exeter keeps pupils past 16. Exeter Mathematics School, a 16–19 school, takes 128 students; most others go to a further-education or sixth-form college, or a sixth form in another town. After 16 ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Exeter grades B− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (58% meet the standard)Better than 29% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (47.9 and 51%)Better than 67% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Exeter; the primary figure holds it back.
Each of Exeter’s 20 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Exeter’s 6 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolDevon’s average school
The primary figure: 23 primaries in the town, 3,228 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 6 secondaries in the town, 1,060 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 Exeter’s 41 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 Exeter’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, 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. The 6 secondaries are named.
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 7% at St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy to 60% at Wynstream Primary School Academy. Against schools with the same intake, St Gabriel's CofE Primary School does best: 76% with 50% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 55%. 8 of 20 primaries and 2 of 6 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 Exeter
Devon County Council handles applications for every state school in Exeter, 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. 10 of Exeter’s 32 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%; 11 schools are at or over it.
Alphington incl. nursery111%
Trinity incl. nursery110%
Clyst Heath incl. nursery110%
St Michael's incl. nursery108%
Stoke Hill Infant incl. nursery105%
Montgomery incl. nursery104%
Willowbrook incl. nursery103%
Monkerton incl. nursery102%
Pinhoe incl. nursery101%
St James101%
Show all 32 schools
St Peter's100%
St Leonard's (CofE)98%
Stoke Hill Junior97%
St Sidwell's incl. nursery96%
West Exe95%
Ladysmith Junior94%
St Thomas93%
Isca91%
St Luke's89%
St David's87%
Woodwater incl. nursery87%
Bowhill86%
St Gabriel's incl. nursery83%
St Nicholas incl. nursery82%
Ladysmith Infant incl. nursery79%
Exwick Heights incl. nursery79%
Whipton Barton Infants incl. nursery76%
Wynstream School incl. nursery71%
Newtown61%
Thomas Hall61%
Whipton Barton Junior59%
Countess Wear incl. nursery42%
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
41 state schools in Exeter
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 Exeter’s schoolsA4B10C9D513 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.
Good 9Report card 4Requires improvement 8Ungraded inspection only 19No published grade 1
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. 4 of Exeter’s 41 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
Ted Wragg Multi Academy TrustWest Exe, St James, St Luke's, Isca, Exwick Heights, Whipton Barton Junior, Whipton Barton Infants
7
4,864
B+B+B−BB+C+
St Christopher's C of E (Primary) Multi Academy TrustSt Leonard's (CofE), St Michael's, Ladysmith Junior, Ladysmith Infant, St Sidwell's
5
1,888
A−B−C−B
Exeter Learning Academy TrustAlphington, Bowhill, St Thomas
3
1,116
BCC
Cornerstone Academy TrustMonkerton, Clyst Heath, Countess Wear
3
1,006
C+D−
Harbour Schools PartnershipWillowbrook, Woodwater, St David's
3
852
DB+C+
Academies for Character and ExcellenceTrinity, St Gabriel's, Newtown
3
767
A−AB+
SENtient TrustEllen Tinkham, Southbrook, Barley Lane
3
460
—
Wave Multi Academy TrustStansfield, Torlands
2
62
—
Reach South Academy TrustThomas Hall
1
438
C−
Education South WestWynstream School
1
299
D
Plymouth CASTSt Nicholas
1
269
D
Exeter Mathematics SchoolExeter Mathematics
1
128
—
Devon County CouncilSt Peter's, Pinhoe, Montgomery, Stoke Hill Junior, Stoke Hill Infant, West Exe Nursery, Chestnut Nursery, Devon Hospitals' Short Stay
8
3,052
A−D−CC+
After 16
Where Exeter’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
All 6 state secondaries in Exeter teach 11 to 16. Exeter Mathematics School is a state 16–19 school in the city. Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group, a further-education college, is in the city.
Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 6
state schools in Exeter
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group
Grammar schools in Devon
1
Colyton Grammar School, Colyford
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Exeter
Exeter has 3 special schools (Barley Lane, Ellen Tinkham and Southbrook: 460 pupils) and 3 alternative provision schools, 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), Devon County 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 ↑
Devon County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
28th of 54 English towns and cities of 88,000 to 170,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Exeter, and the top and bottom of the group.
West ClystClyst HonitonClyst St MaryExminsterTopshamBroadclystCranbrookExeter
Town
Schools
KS2
Att. 8
Exeter 41 schools
B−
58%
47.9
West Clyst 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.7 mi
C+
53%
48.4
Clyst Honiton 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.8 mi
C+
56%
47.4
Clyst St Mary 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.9 mi
B−
58%
49.1
Exminster 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.2 mi
B−
60%
47.4
Topsham 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.2 mi
B
59%
49.4
Broadclyst 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.1 mi
C−
56%
43.7
Cranbrook 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.8 mi
C+
61%
44.3
Topsham 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 Exeter: 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 Exeter
Are schools in Exeter good?
Exeter’s state schools earn a B− against schools across England: primary results beat 29% of towns in England; secondary results beat 67% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Devon council.
What is the best secondary school in Exeter?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, St Peter's Church of England Aided School: Attainment 8 of 50.9 and 57% 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 Exeter?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Gabriel's CofE Primary School: 76% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Exeter secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. All 6 state secondaries teach 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Exeter?
Through Devon County 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 Exeter are full?
11 of 32 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 Exeter?
41 open state-funded schools are located in Exeter’s built-up area: 27 primary, 6 secondary and 8 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.
