This dataset is free to download without registration. It is reviewed and updated twice annually, normally in March and September, with stable column names wherever possible.
SHA-256: 0890168cda05189274720958a193b373bd051dd370d0abe1c3812ad99b463d86
Data preview
| ranking group | rank | postcode sector | post town | school count | schools per 1000 postcodes | sector url |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| school-rich | 1 | L27 2 | Liverpool | 1 | 500 | https://postcodesuk.com/l/l27/l27-2 |
| school-rich | 2 | CR9 7 | Croydon | 2 | 400 | https://postcodesuk.com/cr/cr9/cr9-7 |
| school-rich | 3 | LL76 8 | Llanbedrgoch | 2 | 222.2222 | https://postcodesuk.com/ll/ll76/ll76-8 |
| school-rich | 4 | CR9 5 | Croydon | 2 | 181.8182 | https://postcodesuk.com/cr/cr9/cr9-5 |
| school-rich | 5 | EC2M 6 | London | 1 | 142.8571 | https://postcodesuk.com/ec/ec2m/ec2m-6 |
Data dictionary
- ranking_group
- school-rich or school-sparse group.
- rank
- Rank within the group.
- postcode_sector
- Display-form postcode sector.
- postcode_district
- Outward postcode district.
- postcode_area
- Alphabetic postcode area.
- post_town
- Matched post town.
- region
- Matched region.
- country
- Matched country.
- school_count
- Schools mapped to the sector.
- postcode_count
- Live unit postcodes in the sector.
- schools_per_1000_postcodes
- School count divided by postcode count, multiplied by 1,000.
- sector_url
- Permanent Postcodes UK sector page.
Methodology and sources
Schools are mapped to postcode sectors and divided by the number of live unit postcodes in each sector. The 1,000 highest and 1,000 lowest rates per 1,000 postcodes are published. Zero-school sectors are valid and deterministic ties are resolved by postcode sector.
- Department for Education Get Information About Schools
- Office for National Statistics postcode products
Source datasets change over time and can contain omissions or revisions. Verify operational, admissions, financial or safety-critical decisions with the responsible authority.
Licence and suggested attribution
You may use this compilation for research, analysis and publishing with attribution to Postcodes UK and compliance with the applicable underlying source licences. The download does not transfer or override third-party rights.
Suggested attribution:
Source: Postcodes UK (postcodesuk.com), “School-Rich and School-Sparse Postcode Sectors”, September 2026, https://postcodesuk.com/data-downloads/school-density-postcode-sector-extremes. Derived from Postcodes UK location data and the named source datasets; underlying source rights and attribution statements apply.
Office for National Statistics and other public-sector information is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcode geography may contain Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail rights. HM Land Registry aggregates are derived from Price Paid Data. School fields derive from Department for Education and Ofsted sources.