How the Success Index (England) works
A transparent, reproducible way to compare every English school using only official data. No surveys, no paid placements, no black box.
Data sources
The England Success Index is built from the Department for Education's school performance tables and the Get Information About Schools register. Primary schools are scored on Key Stage 2 attainment and progress; secondary schools on Progress 8, Attainment 8, grade 5+ in English and maths and, where they have a sixth form, A level points. Every school's component is a percentile against schools of the same phase in England, and the share of pupils eligible for free school meals is included as a measure of community advantage.
- DfE – Get Information About Schools (OGL v3.0)
- DfE – Compare school and college performance (OGL v3.0)
The current dataset covers 21,750 schools, of which 20,615 receive a score and 19,787 are ranked. Data was retrieved on 8 October 2026.
The components
Each school is compared only with schools of the same type across England. For each component we convert the raw value to a percentile within that type, then combine the percentiles with these weights:
| Component | Weight | Raw measure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS2: reading, writing & maths expected standard | 35% | KS2 expected standard (RWM) | Percentage of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths. |
| KS2: higher standard | 20% | KS2 higher standard (RWM) | Percentage of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths. |
| KS2: reading progress | 10% | KS2 reading progress | Reading progress score relative to pupils with similar KS1 results. |
| KS2: maths progress | 10% | KS2 maths progress | Maths progress score relative to pupils with similar KS1 results. |
| Progress 8 | 20% | Progress 8 | GCSE progress across eight subjects compared with pupils of similar KS2 attainment; 0 is average. |
| Attainment 8 | 30% | Attainment 8 | Average GCSE points across eight qualifying subjects. |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 15% | Grade 5+ English & maths | Percentage of pupils achieving a strong pass (grade 5 or above) in both English and maths GCSEs. |
| A level points per entry | 10% | A level points per entry | Average A level points per entry for the school's sixth form, where it has one. |
| Community advantage (fewer pupils on free school meals) | 15% | Free school meals (lower is better) | Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals; lower indicates a more advantaged intake. |
Adjustments
- Missing components are left out and the remaining weights are rescaled, so a school is never penalised for data that is not published for its type.
- Small schools: components marked as size-sensitive are shrunk toward the median for schools under 300 students, and schools with fewer than 60 students are scored but not ranked.
- Excluded types: Sixth form are listed but not scored.
- Required data: a school needs a published Pupils on roll to be scored.
Bands and ranks
The combined score is placed on a 0–100 scale and labelled by percentile within school type: Top 5%, Top 10%, Top 25%, Top 50% or Lower 50%. Ranks are computed nationally, within each region and within each local authority, always within school type.
Known limitations
- Independent schools rarely appear in the performance tables, so most receive no attainment components and no score.
- Progress 8 and Key Stage 2 progress scores were not published for 2024/25 because the relevant prior-attainment tests were cancelled during the pandemic; those components are left out and the remaining weights rescale until they return.
- Progress 8 and KS2 progress measures compare pupils with others of similar prior attainment; they are the fairest published measures but are affected by cohort size and pupil mobility.
- Results are for the most recent published academic year and are not adjusted for intake beyond the progress measures.
Attribution
School register data: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools; performance data: Department for Education, Compare School and College Performance. Both released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Success Index is produced by Success Tutoring and is not endorsed by the Department for Education or Ofsted.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Success Index (England) a measure of school quality?
No. It summarises published data about a school community and, where available, attainment. These correlate with academic results but do not measure teaching quality, wellbeing or culture.
Why are small schools not ranked?
Schools with fewer than 60 students have growth and attainment figures that swing dramatically with a handful of enrolments. They receive a score on their profile page but are excluded from ranking tables.
How often is it updated?
Automatically whenever the source agencies publish new data, plus whenever we improve the methodology. The data year (2025) is shown on every page.
Can a school pay to improve its ranking?
No. Success Tutoring accepts no payment from schools, and the index is computed mechanically from official data by open-source code.