Chiltern Academy: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
For September 2026 entry, 272 families put Chiltern Academy as their first choice and 652 named it as one of their preferences, for 228 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 68 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 336 in 2021 to 272 in 2026, while places went from 236 to 228.
Across Luton, 83% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Luton lodged 244 appeals against secondary school offers; 202 reached a hearing and 18 succeeded (8.9% of those heard).
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 228 | 272 | 652 | 1.2 | 68 |
| 2025 | 233 | 305 | 724 | 1.3 | 96 |
| 2024 | 232 | 363 | 827 | 1.6 | 139 |
| 2023 | 235 | 319 | 753 | 1.4 | 113 |
| 2022 | 232 | 364 | 816 | 1.6 | 156 |
| 2021 | 236 | 336 | 740 | 1.4 | 123 |
| 2020 | 228 | 369 | 836 | 1.6 | 161 |
| 2019 | 236 | 259 | 615 | 1.1 | 70 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.