London’s students achieved the best set of results in the country on average
17:17, 20 Aug 2026Updated 17:17, 20 Aug 2026
Teenagers received their GCSE results today(Image: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
After a summer of anticipation, 15 and 16-year-olds across London finally received their GCSE results today (Thursday, August 20). Opening GCSE results is a nerve-wracking experience for students, parents and teachers alike, with teens up and down the country celebrating – and commiserating – their results this afternoon.
London has continued to dominate, with the capital’s youngsters boasting an impressive pass rate of 71.7 per cent, the best in the country. In contrast, the West Midlands once again had the worst pass rate in the country at 62.4 per cent, with the gap widening compared to previous years. But how did each borough in London fare?
The City of London had the best GCSE results in London and the country as a whole this year, with nearly three quarters (72.1 per cent) of all grades a seven or above – equivalent to between an A and A* in traditional grades.
London students received the highest grades in the country on average(Image: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
The City of London’s results were far and away the best, with almost 30 per cent more scores of seven and above than the next best performing area. However, it is important to remember that the City of London boasts a much smaller school-age population than the vast majority of London boroughs, and the majority of the schools within the City of London are independent.
Richmond upon Thames had the next best results with 43.4 per cent achieving a grade seven or higher, followed by Sutton at 43.0 per cent and Kingston upon Thames at 42.5 per cent. However, at the opposite end of the scale, a number of London boroughs lagged behind by over 20 percentage points.
While London fared the best in the country overall, a much more varied picture emerges when broken down by borough. Havering sits as the worst-performing borough in London, with just 19 per cent of all grades a seven or higher. Faring slightly better was Barking and Dagenham at 20.4 per cent, followed by Croydon at 20.9.
You can view a breakdown of all of London’s GCSE results using our interactive map, or find the full list below:
Local Authorities ranked by % grade 7 or higher
City of London – 72.1%Richmond upon Thames – 43.4%Sutton – 43.0%Kingston upon Thames – 42.5%Barnet – 37.4%Hammersmith and Fulham – 35.2%Wandsworth – 33.4%Southwark – 33.3%Merton – 31.8%Hackney – 31.2%Kensington and Chelsea – 30.5%Ealing – 30.2%Redbridge – 30.1%Westminster – 29.5%Bexley – 29.0%Camden – 28.8%Bromley – 28.3%Brent – 27.8%Harrow – 27.1%Haringey – 26.9%Newham – 26.8%Hillingdon – 24.6%Hounslow – 24.6%Islington – 24.6%Greenwich – 24.2%Waltham Forest – 23.8%Enfield – 23.3%Lewisham – 23.1%Tower Hamlets – 22.5%Lambeth – 21.0%Croydon – 20.9%Barking and Dagenham – 20.4%Havering – 19.0%
There is clearly a large regional divide within England when it comes to GCSE outcomes, which is only growing with time. The North East had the worst GCSE results of any region in England, with just 17.7 per cent of grades in the region a seven or higher, compared to London’s 28.5 per cent average. It’s a gap of 10.8 percentage points, which has risen from a gap of 10.3 points last year.
In the South East, 24.6 per cent of grades were seven or higher, while in the East of England it was 22.0 per cent and in the South West it was 21.0 per cent. It drops to 19.0 per cent in Yorkshire and The Humber, 18.9 per cent in the North West, 18.3 per cent in the West Midlands and 18.2 per cent in the East Midlands.
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