Overall Oxbridge
#481
5 ranked schools · +433 places vs Eng avg #914 of 1,983
Applications
85
Offers
24
Offer rate28.2%
+5.8 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 22.4%
Schools in Lancaster
Lancashire's county town and one of England's smaller designated cities, Lancaster carries a civic weight well beyond its population of around 52,000. Set on the River Lune a few miles inland from Morecambe Bay, the city's historic core clusters around the Roman fort established in the first century, the medieval castle that later served as a courthouse and gaol, and the Ashton Memorial rising above Williamson Park to the east. The Duchy of Lancaster still holds estates in the district.
Bowerham, spreading south from the university quarter, is among the most school-competitive postcodes in the city, while Scotforth has long drawn families seeking catchment addresses close to Lancaster's most sought-after secondary provision. Dolphinholme and Austwick lie further out into the Lune Valley, favoured by families willing to trade urban convenience for village schooling. The West Coast Main Line links the city to Preston in around thirty minutes and Manchester in just over an hour.
27
Primary
schools
9
Secondary
schools
1
All-through
schools
1
Post-16
colleges
3
Special
schools
3
Other
schools
of which11sixth forms·2grammar·22faith·1nurseries45 total
Area Performance
Lancaster schools rank in the top 46% of England
Across 47 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 7.38/10, -0.07 vs England.
Find My School Inspection Band
16% Elite
Distribution across all Lancaster schools
EliteExcellentGoodDevelopingRebuilding
Lancaster vs England distribution
National Rank
Top 46%
Across all ranked Lancaster schools
Top 49%Primaryavg #7,267 of 14,978
Top 41%Secondaryavg #1,589 of 3,861
Top 44%Sixth formavg #1,129 of 2,554
Primary schools: 26 schools (state + independent)
LocalEngland avg
Average FMS Inspection Score
6.8/10
-0.53 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.3/10
Average national rank
#7,267
+1 pts vs medianmedian 7,489
top 49% of 14,978
% reaching expected RWM standardstate
62%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 62%
% reaching higher RWM standardstate
8%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 8%
Average FMS Inspection Score
6.8/10
-0.53 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.3/10
Average national rank
#7,267
+1 pts vs medianmedian 7,489
top 49% of 14,978
% reaching expected RWM standardstate
62%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 62%
% reaching higher RWM standardstate
8%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 8%
Secondary schools: 10 schools (state + independent)
LocalEngland avg
Average FMS Inspection Score
7.9/10
+0.46 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.4/10
Average national rank
#1,589
+9 pts vs medianmedian 1,931
top 41% of 3,861
% achieving grades 9-7 (A*-A)state
67%
+11 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 56%
Attainment 8 score (out of 90)state
52.7
+13.6 vs Eng avgEng avg 39.1
Average FMS Inspection Score
7.9/10
+0.46 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.4/10
Average national rank
#1,589
+9 pts vs medianmedian 1,931
top 41% of 3,861
% achieving grades 9-7 (A*-A)state
67%
+11 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 56%
Attainment 8 score (out of 90)state
52.7
+13.6 vs Eng avgEng avg 39.1
Sixth form schools: 11 schools (state + independent)
LocalEngland avg
Average FMS Inspection Score
8.3/10
+0.54 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.7/10
Average national rank
#1,129
+6 pts vs medianmedian 1,277
top 44% of 2,554
% A*-A at A-Level
25%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 25%
% A*-B at A-Level
51%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 50%
Average FMS Inspection Score
8.3/10
+0.54 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.7/10
Average national rank
#1,129
+6 pts vs medianmedian 1,277
top 44% of 2,554
% A*-A at A-Level
25%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 25%
% A*-B at A-Level
51%
0 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 50%
Oxford
#268
3 ranked schools · -15 places vs Eng avg #253 of 1,197
Applications
44
Offers
6
Offer rate13.6%
-1.4 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 15.1%
Cambridge
#250
5 ranked schools · +523 places vs Eng avg #773 of 1,880
Applications
41
Offers
18
Offer rate43.9%
+14.5 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 29.4%
Top 3 Primary Schools
2026
Lancaster
Top 3 Secondary Schools
2026
Lancaster
Top 3 Sixth Forms
2026
Lancaster
Local directory
School profiles in Lancaster
Browse 38 local profile links across primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.
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