How many grammar schools are there in England? Count and sources

The official dated figure verified for this guide is 163 state grammar schools in England in January 2022, reported by the House of Commons Library. That figure is frequently repeated as a current total, but its date matters: it should not be presented as a newly verified October 2026 count.

Which sources answer the question?

The DfE 2025/26 release and its school characteristics by key stage dataset distinguish school count from pupil count and allow admissions-policy breakdowns. The academic-year label 2025/26, January 2026 census date and June 2026 publication date describe different things.

What is included in a state grammar-school count?

The question normally concerns England’s fully academically selective state secondary schools. It is not a count of every school with “Grammar” in its name, every school using an assessment, or every school offering some selective places. For the basic distinction, see what is a grammar school?.

• Independent schools with Grammar in their names belong to the fee-paying sector and should not be added to the state total.
• Academy grammar schools remain state funded; excluding all academies would remove valid schools from the count.
• A partially selective or bilateral school needs to be identified separately from a fully selective grammar.
• A predecessor school and its successor academy should not be counted as two current schools.
• A campus or additional building does not necessarily create a separate school establishment.
• Northern Ireland belongs to a separate education system and is outside an England-only figure.

Why do different websites give different numbers?

A directory may use an older snapshot, a broader definition or a different geographical boundary. Some lists count useful test routes rather than fully selective institutions. A disagreement does not, on its own, prove that a new grammar school has opened.

There is a concrete example in Warwickshire’s official grammar-school guide: its six listed selective routes include Ashlawn, which the council explicitly describes as a bilateral school with one selective class. That is useful admissions information, but a reader should not assume every school in such a local list belongs to the same statistical category.

When comparing totals, write down the source date, territory, school status and definition next to each number. If those fields differ, reconcile them before adding county lists together. “London” also needs an explicit boundary; it is not interchangeable with one local authority.

Where are England’s grammar schools?

They are unevenly distributed. The Commons briefing’s January 2022 description records grammar schools in 35 local authorities, with around 60% located in 11 of them. Those are dated geographical observations, not a current count of schools you can realistically apply to from your address.

Use GIAS to identify establishments, then inspect the school or council admissions pages. A nearby school may have priority areas or residence requirements. A more distant school may accept applications from your address but involve an impractical journey. Neither the national count nor a map pin establishes eligibility.

How to check a published count yourself

1. 1Choose one snapshot date and specify England as the geography.
2. 2Identify open, state-funded secondary establishments with the relevant selective admissions classification.
3. 3Keep partially selective schools, independent schools and schools outside England separate.
4. 4Check unique establishment identifiers, predecessor records and sites so you do not double count.
5. 5Record the filters and whether the result counts schools, pupils or available Year 7 places.
6. 6If publishing a total, link the source and state its observation date; do not replace that date with the day you read it.

What matters for a child taking exams in 2027?

For the usual English Year 7 route, autumn 2027 tests commonly lead to September 2028 entry. Build a shortlist using the school’s 2028 admission arrangements when published, the confirmed test route and a manageable journey. Do not assume the number of schools tells you how many tests to take: several schools may share a test, while another requires its own registration.

Keep unconfirmed future dates clearly marked and review the school’s official information before acting. Choosing between several grammar schools explains the next comparison steps. National school numbers are context; the entry rules of your actual shortlist drive the application.