Education

East Kent has a good choice of grammar, specialist and independent schools with over 185 primary and secondary schools. With a concentration of several higher education facilities, there's a steady flow of students and "work ready" graduates available to the local labour market every year.

East Kent offers a number of academies. In Thanet, The Marlowe Academy opened in September 2005 and has a dual specialism in performing arts and business enterprise. The Folkestone Academy is one of the country's leading independent schools and specialises in art, media and European culture and has been identified by Kent County Council as its Centre of Excellence in Media and the Creative Arts.

Three further education institutions – K College, Thanet College and Canterbury College - offer a range of vocational qualifications, plus there are 39 specialist English language schools attracting students from all over the world including a Japanese college at the University of Kent.

The University of Kent has around 13,000 students and was ranked among the "Top Ten Best for Jobs" by The Sunday Times. Canterbury Christ Church University has grown from a small independent college in the 1960s to its current quota of around 17,000 students. The University College for Creative Arts is the third largest art and design institution in the UK, with approximately 1,000 students in Canterbury. The Girne American University is also based in Canterbury and is an independent institution offering American-style higher education. And the University Centre, Folkestone, established in 2007 has around 300 students.