Private School Statistics 2023
How many adults in the UK attended a private school? And, possibly more importantly, how do those who did feel their education impacted their careers later?
We’ve polled 2,000 adults in the UK in September 2023 and collated data from a number of sources to establish:
How many children are in private schools in the UK today?
How many of the UK’s adult population attended private schools?
How much is the private school sector worth?
What are the average fees?
How do previous private school attendees feel their education impacted their career?
Let’s dive into the data.
The Key Facts and Figures
The most important facts and figures from our findings are summarised here, with more detail within:
1 in 5 adults in the UK has attended a private school as a child
This figure rises to 33% for those in London and is as low as 7.2% in Northern Ireland
Men are likelier to have attended private school than women in the UK (1 in 4 men vs just over 1 in 7 women)
Just over a third of former private school attendees feel that their private education resulted in a better career
Almost 1 in 5 state school attendees feel they have a better career as the result of attending a state school
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Around 5.9% of all children at school in the UK are attending private schools
There are just over 554,000 pupils at UK independent schools
There are 16.9% more pupils in independent schools today than there were in 1990
The average fee for a day pupil at a private secondary school in the UK is currently £17,562 per academic year
Private School Outcomes - 2023 Survey Statistics
The financial outcomes of private school attendees versus their state school counterparts is documented. But we were more interested in finding out how former private and state school attendees feel about the impact their education has had on their careers.
As such, in September 2023, we polled 2,000 adults in the UK (a demographically representative sample supplied by a market research company) and we asked:
“Thinking about your education as a child and your career as an adult, which, if any, of the following statements best apply to you? (Select one)”
We gave respondents several options:
I went to a private school as a child, and I feel that I've had a better career as an adult when compared with state school attendees
I went to a private school as a child, and I feel that it made no difference to my career as an adult when compared with state school attendees
I went to a private school as a child, and I feel that my career as an adult was disadvantaged when compared with state school attendees
I went to a state school as a child, and I feel that I've had a better career as an adult when compared with private school attendees
I went to a state school as a child, and I feel that it made no difference to my career as an adult when compared with private school attendees
I went to a state school as a child, and I feel that my career as an adult was disadvantaged when compared with private school attendees
None of the above
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Here is how they answered:
The majority (just under 60%) feel that being educated in a state school made no difference to their career as an adult when compared with private school attendees.
18.96% feel they’ve benefitted from being state educated versus their privately educated counterparts, while 21.20% feel they were disadvantaged by comparison.
Independent School Attendees Figures in 2023
Our survey covered those adults who were privately educated as children. But how many children are in independent schools in the UK today?
According to data from the Independent Schools Council’s 2023 census, there are 554,316 pupils currently attending Independent Schools in the UK, representing around 5.9% of all school attendees in the country.
This figure represents an increase of 16% against 1990’s figure of 474,203.
66,325 of those who attend private schools are boarding.
How Many Independent Schools are there in the UK?
The same census, which covers all schools that are affiliated with the ISC, states:
1,395 independent schools in the UK
106 of them are boys-only schools
159 of them are girls-only schools
1,130 are co-educational (mixed) schools
Average Private School Fees in the UK
The ICS Census also provides some data on the average private school fees in the UK. As of 2023, this stands at:
By far and away, Eton College is the most searched-for UK independent school both in the UK and globally. There are over 100,000 searches for the school globally each month, some two-thirds of which are from outside the UK.
This comes despite the fact the school wasn’t in the top 40 independent schools for GCSE results. So perhaps search demand is being more driven by its former high-profile (Royal!) attendees than anything else.
In Conclusion
There’s a thriving Independent Schools Sector in the UK, which has educated millions of today’s adults and is presently educating over half a million children in the country.
Demand continues to grow too. So without a doubt, we would expect to see the sector continuing to educate hundreds of thousands of children over the coming years.
Methodology and Caveats
For the survey, we polled a demographically representative sample of 2,000 adults in the UK in September 2023. To ensure our sample was indeed demographically representative, we commissioned a UK market research company, Censuswide, specialist operating under ESOMAR principles.
Copies of raw data are available on request by email to marketing@tutorful.co.uk.
For numbers relating to the UK’s independent schools, we consulted the 2023 ISC Census: https://www.isc.co.uk/research/annual-census/
When it came to analysing search data, we used KWfinder.com, which pulls data about estimated searches from Google’s own Ads platform.
When collecting estimated search data, we bear certain caveats in mind:
A single search does not necessarily include a single searcher. One person may make multiple searches over the course of a month
Someone searching “private schools near me,” isn’t necessarily looking to place a child in one. There could be all sorts of other reasons. So by no means are we suggesting that each search equates to a potential child in a private school. Instead, the data should be considered a point of interest highlighting a growth in interest in private schools
Data is always an estimate, so we would advise against reading too much into exact numbers instead we look at trends and patterns over time
If you have any questions or would like comment on our findings, please reach out by email to marketing@tutorful.co.uk
