London students have continued the capital’s run of producing the best GCSE results in the country widening the gap with other regions.
Some 28.6% of scores issued to teenagers in the city were a Grade 7 or above, the equivalent to an A, it was revealed on Thursday.
This was a rise of 0.2% on 2025 and more than 10 percentage points higher than the worst performing region - the North East - where just 17.7% were awarded top grades.
It means the gap between these two regions now stands at 10.9 percentage points, up from 10.6 in 2025 and the largest since the start of available data in 2010.
In north-west England, 18.9% of entries received grade 7 or above, up slightly from 18.8% in 2025. The gap between London and the North West has widened to 9.7 points from 9.6 in 2025, close to the recent record of 9.9 points in 2024.
There has also been a widening of the gap between London and both the East and West Midlands, to the largest size since at least 2010.
The second best performing region was the South East where 24.5% of results were top grades, followed by the East of England (22.1%) and the South West (21%).
Across London, 71.7% of results were at least a standard Grade 4 pass or above - an increase of 0.1% on last year.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I want to give a massive congratulations to students across the capital who are receiving their GCSE results.
“Today is a culmination of a huge amount of hard work which you and your teachers, family and friends should be incredibly proud of. “For those who may not have received the results they hoped for, know that there are many ways to future success.
“Your teachers, parents and the National Careers Service are all available to offer you guidance and support you in your pursuit of what will doubtlessly be a bright future ahead.”
Among the schools bucking national trends was Cumberland Community School in Newham, where despite serving one of the poorest communities in the country, 60% of disadvantaged students scored at least a Grade 5 in English and Maths.
Last year, only 26% of disadvantaged pupils nationally achieved the benchmark in the subjects.
The school covered the cost of uniforms and equipment, including blazers, ties and laptops, for all incoming Year 7 pupils last year at a cost of more than £100,000.
Headteacher Ekhlas Rahman said their GCSE results showed students from poor backgrounds achieve just as well as their better off peers.
Mr Rahman said: “At Cumberland it does not matter your personal circumstance or background, there will be no barrier to success.
“We have been able to do what many thought impossible which is close the attainment gap for disadvantaged students.
“We saw during COVID that attainment gap get even wider but we have managed to do something that bucks the trend here at Cumberland.
“The secret is having students at school every day being taught by outstanding teachers.
“We took a hardline approach to attendance for exactly this reason, so that we can help students score the grades to take their next steps in education. “Nationally, there is a crisis.
“The attainment gap for disadvantaged students is getting wider. But here students achieve no matter what their background.”
