A Local Education Authority (LEA) is the part of a council in England or Wales that is responsible for education within that council's jurisdiction. This function is exercised by the county councils, metropolitan borough councils and unitary authorities.

LEAs are in charge of all state schools in their area: they organise funding for the schools, allocate the number of places available for pupils at each school and employ all teachers at the schools (except for foundation schools, which, while still funded by the LEA, employ their own staff).

LEAs are also responsible for funding pupils entering undergraduate higher education or embarking on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). They assess the income of a student or their parents currently living in their jurisdiction and help pay the cost of tuition fees if the assessment shows that the student or parents should not pay them all. The assessment also determines how much student loan they are entitled to, though the loan itself is supplied by the Student Loans Company. The LEA provides these services to a student whose home address is in the LEA, even if the student chooses to go to a university outside that LEA.