Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
15% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Population 7,344: a town in Leicestershire, East Midlands.
Castle Donington’s strongest subject is schools: primary results beat 95% of towns in England; secondary results beat 65% of towns in England. At A− overall, Castle Donington is better than just over four fifths of UK towns and ranks #14 of 50 in Leicestershire. Natural hazards weigh more here: 0.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Buying the median home, at £309,997, takes 5.7 years of household income in the North West Leicestershire council area. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety, B− for health and B for walkability.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Castle Donington is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Castle Donington does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 55 buildings inside Castle Donington’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1910.
Explore the history →55 listed buildings in Castle Donington.
Church of St Edward King and Martyr: Photo: Ed6767 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Donington Manor Hotel: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Baptist Church: Photo: Hassocks5489 · CC0 · Park Lane Farmhouse: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castle Donington.
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 52% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 46.7. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 2 primary schools: 74% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 303 | A |
| Castle Donington CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 684 | B |
16% rent privately, below both Leicestershire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). Social renters account for just over one in ten households. Private rents average £914 a month across the North West Leicestershire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £360,000 | 322 |
| Semi-detached | £254,950 | 157 |
| Terraced | £230,250 | 52 |
| Flat or maisonette | £149,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, that is 75 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Castle Donington. Homes from before 1919 make up 12% of the total, below Leicestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Grade II* covers 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 83% of commuters, above Leicestershire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. For every resident in work, Castle Donington has 3.7 jobs. About 24% of its commuters stay in Castle Donington for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
There were 11.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Leicestershire’s towns (6.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Police recorded 397 crimes inside Castle Donington’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 120 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 38% of the crimes.
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.
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.
One GP practice serves the town; 63% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Castle Donington is Royal Derby Hospital, 8.5 miles away. 17% of residents have a disability, close to both Leicestershire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Castle Donington | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, higher than both Leicestershire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 10%. The age that splits Castle Donington in two is 43.6.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Castle Donington | Leicestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Leicestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Castle Donington. Best known first.
CastleMelbourne Castle4.7 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseMelbourne Hall4.7 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumKegworth Heritage Centre3.2 km outside town, to the eastArt galleryArt galleryTarpey Galleryin townMuseumMuseumDiseworth Heritage Centre2.3 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in Leicestershire, England
Castle Donington is a built-up area of 7,344 people, in the North West Leicestershire 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Donington | 7,344 | — | A− | B+ | B− | B− |
| Shardlow | 1,190 | 2 | — | A | C | B− |
| Aston-on-Trent | 2,433 | 2.2 | — | A | A | B+ |
| Kegworth | 4,293 | 2.6 | A− | A− | C− | A− |
| Long Whatton | 1,157 | 3.3 | — | B | A | A− |
| Melbourne | 4,860 | 3.6 | A+ | A | B+ | A− |
| Breaston and Draycott | 7,393 | 3.8 | B | B | B− | C+ |
| Sutton Bonington | 2,064 | 4.1 | — | A− | A | B |
Shardlow, Aston-on-Trent, Long Whatton and Sutton Bonington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.1 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Secondary results are closer to the middle, beating 65%.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.