The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough 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, 222 families put The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough as their first choice and 270 named it as one of their preferences, for 188 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 39 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 269 in 2021 to 222 in 2026, while places went from 186 to 188.
50% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Lincolnshire, 85% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Lincolnshire lodged 745 appeals against secondary school offers; 627 reached a hearing and 242 succeeded (38.6% 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 | 188 | 222 | 270 | 1.2 | 39 |
| 2025 | 186 | 217 | 273 | 1.2 | 34 |
| 2024 | 186 | 250 | 306 | 1.3 | 68 |
| 2023 | 186 | 220 | 276 | 1.2 | 38 |
| 2022 | 185 | 257 | 319 | 1.4 | 72 |
| 2021 | 186 | 269 | 315 | 1.4 | 86 |
| 2020 | 186 | 222 | 275 | 1.2 | 40 |
| 2019 | 185 | 251 | 301 | 1.4 | 69 |
| 2018 | 192 | 253 | 310 | 1.3 | 63 |
| 2017 | 179 | 225 | 286 | 1.3 | 49 |
| 2016 | 180 | 212 | 259 | 1.2 | 34 |
| 2015 | 180 | 253 | 312 | 1.4 | 73 |
| 2014 | 177 | 194 | 244 | 1.1 | 19 |
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.