Compton is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It falls within the area of the unitary authority of West Berkshire. Both the parish council and the unitary authority are responsible for different aspects of local government.
Education
Compton is the home of The Downs School which is a school that has been consistently mentioned in the Queen's Annual Inspector's report. It is a Foundation school, and was recently awarded Language College Status. It has frequently finished above all other non-private schools for the A-Level, GCSE and KS3 results tables in Berkshire. It now has a brand new sixth form.