The village is situated approximately 13 miles (20 km) north-east from the centre of the city of York.

Leavening is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as in the Acklam Hundred of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

[2] In 1823 Leavening was in the civil parish of Acklam, the Wapentake of Buckrose and the Liberty of St Peter's, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Population was 294, with occupations including thirteen farmers, four nurserymen, two carpenters, two grocers, three shoemakers, a blacksmith, a corn miller, a tailor, a butcher, a linen manufacturer, a schoolmaster, and the landlord of The Hare & Hounds public house.

It caters for children aged 3–11, has a student capacity of 70 and a catchment area covering several local villages.