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Attainment 8 EBacc

DfE Performance Tables

Last refreshed 30 January 2026 16:42
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Attainment 8 EBacc

DfE Performance Tables

Attainment 8 score for the EBacc element (sciences, languages, humanities)

Understanding Attainment 8 EBacc

This score represents the EBacc component of Attainment 8, covering students’ achievement in the three EBacc subject slots: sciences, humanities (history/geography), and languages.

How It’s Calculated

Three qualification slots contribute to this score:

  • One science qualification (or two from combined science)
  • One humanities subject (history or geography)
  • One language (modern or ancient)

Each slot contributes up to 9 points, for a maximum of 27 points from the EBacc element.

What These Subjects Cover

Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Combined Science Humanities: History or Geography Languages: French, German, Spanish, or other approved languages

Interpreting the Scores

  • 20+ points: Strong EBacc performance
  • 15-20 points: Good, above average
  • 10-15 points: Average
  • Below 10 points: Below average or limited EBacc entries

Important Considerations

A lower EBacc score might mean:

  • Students taking fewer EBacc subjects (not entered for a language, for instance)
  • Students achieving lower grades in these academic subjects
  • A school curriculum focused on different strengths

Schools with high EBacc scores are typically delivering strong academic outcomes across the traditional subjects. However, this doesn’t necessarily make them better schools — it depends on what pathways suit the students they serve.

Technical Details

Column Name
attainment8_ebacc
Data Source
DfE Performance Tables

Coverage by School Phase

How many schools have data available for this field.

Primary
0% 0 / 17910
Secondary
93% 1176 / 1263
Secondary with Sixth Form
95% 1946 / 2033
Sixth Form Only
0% 0 / 289
All-through
59% 161 / 269
Special
29% 615 / 2059
Independent
45% 784 / 1724
Good (80%+)
Moderate (50-79%)
Poor (<50%)

This field does not contribute to the performance score calculation.

Distribution by School Phase

Statistical distribution of values across schools.

Min
0.0
Max
26.7
Mean
10.89
Median
11.0
Std Dev
3.51
Schools
4682
Secondary (1176)
11
202
524
368
66
5
0 3 5 8 11 13 16 19 21 24 27
Secondary with Sixth Form (1946)
4
10
22
183
621
640
256
104
71
35
0 3 5 8 11 13 16 19 21 24 27
All-through (161)
1
4
27
52
55
17
5
0 3 5 8 11 13 16 19 21 24 27
Special (615)
487
80
29
12
7
0 3 5 8 11 13 16 19 21 24 27
Independent (784)
96
56
56
68
61
135
150
112
38
12
0 3 5 8 11 13 16 19 21 24 27

Related Fields

Fields that correlate with Attainment 8 EBacc. Click to explore.

Positive correlation
Negative correlation