Harris City Academy Crystal Palace: 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, 177 families put Harris City Academy Crystal Palace as their first choice and 938 named it as one of their preferences, for 210 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places, so in 2026 a family who put it first could expect an offer unless the school's other criteria ruled them out.
First-choice demand has fallen from 323 in 2021 to 177 in 2026, while places went from 180 to 210.
39% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Croydon, 71% 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 Croydon lodged 60 appeals against secondary school offers; 57 reached a hearing and 3 succeeded (5.3% 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 | 210 | 177 | 938 | 0.8 | 65 |
| 2025 | 205 | 205 | 959 | 1.0 | 68 |
| 2024 | 179 | 258 | 1163 | 1.4 | 144 |
| 2023 | 180 | 269 | 1258 | 1.5 | 170 |
| 2022 | 181 | 248 | 1328 | 1.4 | 148 |
| 2021 | 180 | 323 | 1421 | 1.8 | 216 |
| 2020 | 180 | 313 | 1524 | 1.7 | 212 |
| 2019 | 180 | 378 | 1724 | 2.1 | 266 |
| 2018 | 176 | 424 | 1722 | 2.4 | 312 |
| 2017 | 174 | 437 | 1772 | 2.5 | 308 |
| 2016 | 178 | 542 | 1957 | 3.0 | 408 |
| 2015 | 171 | 501 | 1950 | 2.9 | 376 |
| 2014 | 177 | 585 | 2019 | 3.3 | 459 |
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.