School Green’s story
Old homes in School Green: 33% built before 1919
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →School GreenEssex
The village has 424 residents and lies in Essex, East of England.
Population
424
Census 2021 · Braintree council
Median age
39.8
17% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
38%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is School Green a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so School Green has no grades; its figures are still real. 12% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Private renters make up 43% of households. A third of its homes date from before 1919.
What makes School Green stand out
The 3 things School Green does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Households renting privately
Housing
of households, against 21% across England’s towns
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in School Green.
Work & commute
More commuters in School Green drive than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 87%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
25% of commuters travelled under 5 km, lower than both Essex’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%). Working from home was the norm for 40% of workers at the census. Average household income comes to £64K a year before tax.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot11%
Bus1%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Home ownership in School Green, 53%, runs below Essex’s towns and England’s towns
4% live in social housing, below Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area. That is the middle of 3 standard sales inside School Green’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
School Green£0K
Typical UK town£277K
53%
of households own their home · England 61%
43%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,213
average private rent a month, Braintree council area
£2,315
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded more often in School Green than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 110.9 per 1,000 residents a year
Each year, 27.5 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. Police recorded 54 crimes inside School Green’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences were 52% of the crimes.
110.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual28
Damage & arson9
Public order6
Other theft5
Drugs3
Burglary2
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social0
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
110.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
27.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
54
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Bad health is less common in School Green than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 1.7% of residents
90% of School Green’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches a tenth of the town’s population. Seeing a GP means leaving School Green: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away.
90%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 90%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | School Green | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 10% | 17% | 17% |
81.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape School Green: 33% were built before 1919, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside School Green’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
33%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
School Green has fewer young adults than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 7.3% are 15 to 24
Degrees are held by 38% of adults. Children under 15 make up 20%, above Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The middle age in School Green is 39.8. 17% of residents have reached 65.
39.8median age
School GreenEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
17%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level38%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| School Green | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Colne Valley Railway and 2 more in and around School Green
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near School Green. Best known first.
MuseumColne Valley Railway4.4 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumFinchingfield Guildhall2.4 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumAlderford Water Mill4.7 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Colne Valley Railway: PeterSkuce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Finchingfield Guildhall: Oxyman, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about School Green
12pages on School Green
The big questions
School Green’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Great BardfieldSible HedinghamGreat YeldhamCastle HedinghamGosfieldSteeple BumpsteadStebbingSchool Green
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Green | 424 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Great Bardfield | 1,372 | 2.5 | — | C | A− | A |
| Sible Hedingham | 4,261 | 4.2 | B− | B | B− | B+ |
| Great Yeldham | 1,824 | 4.6 | — | B− | B− | A− |
| Castle Hedingham | 1,045 | 4.8 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Gosfield | 1,453 | 4.9 | — | C− | A+ | B |
| Steeple Bumpstead | 1,376 | 5.7 | — | C | A− | A |
| Stebbing | 1,061 | 6 | — | B+ | A+ | A |
Great Bardfield, Great Yeldham, Castle Hedingham, Gosfield, Steeple Bumpstead and Stebbing have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about School Green
How much is council tax in School Green?
Band D council tax in School Green is £2,315 for 2026–27, less than in 73% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About School Green
Village in Essex, England
School Green is a built-up area of 424 people, in the Braintree council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 424 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Braintree
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003964
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.