The attainment gap between poorer pupils and their better-off peers at GCSE has decreased by the largest amount since before the pandemic. But experts warned it was impossible to tell if there has been “genuine improvement” The government has published more detailed data on key stage 4 performance for 2026, as well as destinations data for key stage 4 and 5 pupils. It confirms the news from the summer that a higher proportion of pupils are achieving grade 5 and above in English and maths GCSEs. But experts say transitional arrangements introduced after the roll-out of Universal Credit makes it “not possible to establish whether this is due to a genuine improvement”. Here are 10 key findings from the data… 1. Attainment 8 scores up slightly There are no progress 8 scores again this year because of missing key stage 2 data from the pandemic. It means attainment 8 is the main measure used in school league tables. This means, like last year, grammar schools once again dominate the top schools (see point 9 below). Attainment 8 measures pupils’ attainment across eight subject “buckets”. The average attainment 8 score across England has increased slightly, rising by 0.1 to 46.2. This is still below the pre-pandemic level of 46.7. 2. Disadvantage gap narrows… After remaining stable at 3.94 between 2021 and 2023, the disadvantage gap for KS4 attainment decreased slightly by 0.1 percentage points in 2024 and 2025, falling to 3.93 then 3.92. But this year the gap saw a bigger fall of 0.1 percentage points, and now stands at 3.82. Source: DfE The figure still remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. The gap had widened from 3.66 to 3.70 between 2017 and 2019, before returning to 3.66 in 2020 when centre-assessed grades were used. This year 27.5 per cent of disadvantaged pupils achieved grades 5 or above in English and maths, up from 25.8 per cent last year. This compares to 54.3 per cent of pupils not known to be disadvantaged. 3. … but questions over ‘genuine improvement’ Jenna Julius, research director at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), said the data “suggests that the disadvantaged gap narrowed slightly between 2025 and 2026”. But she added: “Due to transitional arrangements introduced in 2018 to smooth out the introduction of Universal Credit, it is not possible to establish whether this is due to a genuine improvement or simply due to a change in the composition of the group considered to be disadvantaged.” Transitional arrangements have now been removed, but Julius said their impact “will continue to make it challenging to track the disadvantaged attainment gap over the coming years”. “Adapting the way the gap is measured is critical to ensuring that progress against the Government’s ambitions to close the gap can be adequately and robustly assessed.” NFER has previously called on the government to explore introducing a “continuity measure” of disadvantage, based on underlying criteria for free school meal eligibility. The proportion of KS4 pupils recorded as disadvantaged increased slightly this year, from 28.2 per cent in 2024-25 to 29.8 per cent in 2025-26. The data acknowledges that this is “likely to be the result of the transitional protections that have been in place during the roll out of Universal Credit”. 4. Regional picture complex As seen in GCSE results in the summer, London continues to outperform all other regions. The West Midlands had the lowest proportion of pupils achieving grades 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs. Source: DfE It lagged 12.6 percentage points behind London, which remains the highest-performing at 54.5 per cent. The south east came in second place for grade 5+ passes in English and maths, at 48.3 per cent. But research from Impetus revealed significant discrepancies within regions. Just 40.4 per cent of disadvantaged pupils in the South East achieved a grade 4 “standard pass” or above, compared to 74.7 per cent not known to be disadvantaged. Disadvantaged pupils in the north of England also had a higher rate of passing GCSE English and maths compared to the south east, excluding London. Impetus CEO Susannah Hardyman said: “The south east’s headline GCSE success tells only half the story. Behind the strong regional average are young people experiencing poverty who are being left further behind than anywhere else in the country. “This should be a wake-up call. Poverty is not just a north-south issue: it is often deepest within regions, communities and even classrooms.” 5. EAL and SEND gaps widen Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) have better attainment than non-EAL pupils. The gap between the percentage achieving 5+ and above in English and maths widened to 4.3 percentage points. This is up from 3.3 percentage points last year, and 0.6 percentage points before the pandemic. Meanwhile pupils with an ECHP have “substantially lower” attainment than pupils with SEN support, with the gap standing at 15.9 percentage points, up from 14.9 percentage points last year. 6. Fewer going on to study and work As the government looks to tackle the growing NEET (not in education, employment or training) crisis, separate data released by the DfE today showed a drop in the proportion of leavers going on to sustained education, employment and apprenticeships. “Sustained” destinations means being there for at least six months following the end of Year 11. Of KS4 leavers in 2024, 91.3 per cent were in sustained destinations – a drop of 0.4 percentage points since the previous year. Those in sustained education or apprenticeships fell by 0.3 percentage points each, while there was a 0.5 percentage point drop in those in sustained employment. 7. Disadvantage gap for post-GCSE pathways There remains a clear difference in likelihood of year 11s to go on to sustained work or study, depending on their background. Of disadvantaged pupils leaving in 2024, 78.8 per cent went on to education, compared to 88.8 per cent of those without known disadvantage. Disadvantaged pupils were also less likely to go onto apprenticeships (2.1 per cent compared to 3.4 per cent). Instead, they were slightly more likely to be in sustained work (2.3 per cent compared to 2 per cent). 8. …but the gap is narrowing That gap is narrowing. The overall gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils was 10.9 percentage points, for KS4 leavers. It has fallen slightly from 11.3 percentage points last year, though it remains above the pre-pandemic (2019-20) level of 8.2 percentage points. 9. Grammars still dominate Meanwhile, school-level analysis shows grammar schools continue to dominate the league tables for attainment, in keeping with a trend seen last year when progress 8 scores were missing for the first time. This table shows the full list of the top 50 state schools in England, by average attainment 8 score. Progress 8 scores are expected to return next year.