Devonport High School for Boys: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Devonport High School for Boys is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.
For September 2026 entry, 234 families put Devonport High School for Boys as their first choice and 261 named it as one of their preferences, for 208 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 26 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 305 in 2021 to 234 in 2026, while places went from 178 to 208.
31% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Plymouth, 92% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Plymouth lodged 74 appeals against secondary school offers; 57 reached a hearing and 10 succeeded (17.5% 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 | 208 | 234 | 261 | 1.1 | 26 |
| 2025 | 208 | 226 | 258 | 1.1 | 19 |
| 2024 | 210 | 235 | 255 | 1.1 | 26 |
| 2023 | 179 | 210 | 227 | 1.2 | 31 |
| 2022 | 181 | 204 | 225 | 1.1 | 23 |
| 2021 | 178 | 305 | 334 | 1.7 | 128 |
| 2020 | 178 | 208 | 220 | 1.2 | 31 |
| 2019 | 179 | 220 | 236 | 1.2 | 41 |
| 2018 | 179 | 210 | 226 | 1.2 | 31 |
| 2017 | 180 | 199 | 220 | 1.1 | 19 |
| 2016 | 174 | 188 | 217 | 1.1 | 15 |
| 2015 | 172 | 193 | 218 | 1.1 | 22 |
| 2014 | 174 | 207 | 230 | 1.2 | 33 |
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.