Jarrett Stuart, Emily VanderKamp and Ellen Sawtell—IB Research department
IB programmes are currently offered in 128 schools across the UK, serving nearly 100,000 students. The majority of IB World Schools are located in England, which is the primary focus of this report, with additional insights from schools in Scotland and Wales. The South East region of England has the highest concentration of IB World Schools and has seen substantial growth since 2015. Most IB World Schools in England have non-selective admissions policies (67%), and their student populations reflect similar rates of eligibility for free school meals compared with all schools in England. IB World Schools demonstrate strong quality indicators, achieving more than double the proportion of “Outstanding” Ofsted ratings compared with all schools across England. In 2024, nearly 4,000 UK students earned the IB diploma and 435 earned the Career-related Programme certificate. IB students primarily sent transcripts to UK universities (73%), with University College London and King’s College London among the most common destinations. Lastly, findings show that Diploma Programme students in the UK have greater odds of achieving many positive higher education outcomes compared with A-level students.
