The Earls High School: 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, 291 families put The Earls High School as their first choice and 825 named it as one of their preferences, for 237 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 61 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 196 in 2021 to 291 in 2026, while places went from 246 to 237.
25% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Dudley, 87% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Dudley lodged 185 appeals against secondary school offers; 127 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (17.3% 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 | 237 | 291 | 825 | 1.2 | 61 |
| 2025 | 265 | 287 | 756 | 1.1 | 43 |
| 2024 | 261 | 328 | 842 | 1.3 | 76 |
| 2023 | 272 | 297 | 829 | 1.1 | 40 |
| 2022 | 258 | 254 | 780 | 1.0 | 21 |
| 2021 | 246 | 196 | 729 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2020 | 243 | 253 | 824 | 1.0 | 27 |
| 2019 | 245 | 275 | 888 | 1.1 | 47 |
| 2018 | 247 | 329 | 864 | 1.3 | 85 |
| 2017 | 247 | 233 | 808 | 0.9 | 14 |
| 2016 | 238 | 270 | 748 | 1.1 | 47 |
| 2015 | 235 | 272 | 787 | 1.2 | 49 |
| 2014 | 232 | 299 | 767 | 1.3 | 76 |
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.