Secondary schools in Darlington
Where pupils go after Year 11 and after sixth form, school by school, with GCSE results. Destinations are for the 2023 leavers; results are from 2025.
Darlington has 8 state-funded secondary schools. Of the 1,148 pupils who finished Year 11 here in 2023, 87% stayed in education (England 86%): 12% in a school sixth form, 31% at a sixth form college, 42% at a further education college.
4% started an apprenticeship, close to the England rate of 3%.
After sixth form, 36% of students in Darlington went to university (England 37%), and 18% of level 3 students reached one of the most selective universities (England 19%).
GCSE results in 2025: Attainment 8 of 44.3 against 46.1 for England; 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 45%).
After Year 11: Darlington against England
| Measure | Darlington | England |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 1,148 | 607,348 |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 31% | 13% |
| — further education college | 42% | 37% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 6% |
State-funded secondary schools (8)
Sorted by name. Click a school for its full picture. “Stayed in education” counts school sixth forms, sixth form colleges and FE colleges together.
| School | Pupils | Stayed in education | School sixth form | FE college | Apprenticeship | To university | Attainment 8 | 5+ Eng & maths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel CollegeAcademy converter · sixth form | 1,367 | 90% | 53% | 21% | 5% | 54% | 53.5 | 60% |
| Haughton AcademyAcademy converter | 854 | 85% | 1% | 60% | 2% | — | 38.0 | 34% |
| Hummersknott AcademyAcademy converter | 1,215 | 93% | 3% | 35% | 2% | — | 47.8 | 57% |
| Hurworth SchoolAcademy converter | 621 | 84% | 5% | 39% | 6% | — | 49.1 | 52% |
| Longfield AcademyAcademy sponsor led | 660 | 84% | 3% | 48% | 6% | — | 42.8 | 44% |
| Polam Hall SchoolFree schools | 842 | 85% | 4% | 48% | 4% | — | 44.6 | 38% |
| St Aidan's Church of England AcademyAcademy sponsor led | 587 | 80% | 3% | 58% | 2% | — | 40.0 | 41% |
| Wyvern AcademyAcademy sponsor led | 464 | 81% | 5% | 50% | 3% | — | 37.7 | 24% |
Independent schools, colleges and special schools with published data (4)
| School | Pupils | Stayed in education | School sixth form | FE college | Apprenticeship | To university | Attainment 8 | 5+ Eng & maths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington Collegecollege · Further education | — | — | — | — | — | 7% | — | — |
| Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form Collegesixth form · Academy 16-19 converter | — | — | — | — | — | 50% | — | — |
| Hurworth House School Aspris Children's servicesspecial · Other independent special school | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.8 | 0% |
| Beaumont Hill Academystate · Academy special converter · sixth form | 399 | 86% | 0% | 43% | 0% | — | 4.3 | 0% |