School admissions statistics 2026
By School Signal · Last updated 13 October 2026 · Refreshed monthly through the year
83.6% of children applying for a secondary school place in England were offered their first choice for September 2026, and 92.4% of those applying for a primary place, according to School Signal analysis of DfE data for all 152 councils.
These figures count applications made on time through councils for the normal entry points, Reception and Year 7, in England's state schools. They do not include independent schools, in-year moves or late applications, and "first choice" means the school a family ranked first, not every school they would have been happy with. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run different systems and are not included.
Key statistics
First choices
- Secondary: 83.6% of 589,747 applicants in England were offered their first-choice school for September 2026 (School Signal analysis of DfE data).
- Primary: 92.4% of 541,547 applicants were offered their first-choice school (School Signal analysis of DfE data).
- 96.4% of secondary applicants and 98.7% of primary applicants were offered one of the schools they named.
- Five years earlier, for 2021 entry, the first-choice rates were 81.1% for secondary and 91.8% for primary.
Where it is hardest
- Greenwich had the lowest secondary first-choice rate in England: 60.2%.
- Hammersmith and Fulham had the lowest primary first-choice rate: 74.6%.
- 19,973 secondary applicants were offered a school they had not named at all.
Oversubscribed schools
- 1,221 of 3,223 state secondary schools (38%) had more first-choice applications than places for 2026 entry.
- 3,474 of 15,796 state primary schools (22%) were oversubscribed on first choices.
- 65 secondary schools had at least two first choices for every place.
Appeals (2025)
- Families lodged 51,873 school admission appeals in England in 2025 (DfE, Admission appeals for maintained and academy schools).
- 19.9% of secondary appeals that reached a hearing succeeded, against 17.7% for primary.
How many children got their first-choice secondary school in 2026?
83.6% of applicants for a Year 7 place in England in September 2026 were offered their first-choice school, and 96.4% were offered one of the schools they named.
That is 493,003 of 589,747 applicants. 19,973 were offered a school they had not named, and 1,102 received no offer on national offer day. Figures cover all 152 councils in England.
How many children got their first-choice primary school in 2026?
92.4% of applicants for a Reception place in England in September 2026 were offered their first-choice school, and 98.7% one of the schools they named.
That is 500,512 of 541,547 applicants.
Is it getting easier or harder to get a first choice?
For secondary places it is easier than five years ago: 83.6% in 2026 against 81.1% in 2021. Primary rates moved from 91.8% to 92.4%.
Secondary applications peaked in 2023 at 619,991 and were 589,747 for 2026. Primary applications peaked in 2016 at 641,572 and were 541,547 for 2026. Fewer applicants for the same places generally means more first choices met.
| Entry year | Secondary applicants | Secondary first choice | Primary applicants | Primary first choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 589,747 | 83.6% | 541,547 | 92.4% |
| 2025 | 597,670 | 83.5% | 550,270 | 92.6% |
| 2024 | 609,576 | 82.9% | 555,643 | 93.2% |
| 2023 | 619,991 | 82.6% | 568,560 | 92.5% |
| 2022 | 614,059 | 83.3% | 576,147 | 92.2% |
| 2021 | 605,206 | 81.1% | 580,771 | 91.8% |
| 2020 | 600,352 | 82.2% | 612,146 | 90.2% |
| 2019 | 604,496 | 80.9% | 608,957 | 90.6% |
| 2018 | 582,761 | 82.1% | 608,180 | 91.0% |
| 2017 | 562,487 | 83.5% | 620,330 | 90.0% |
| 2016 | 548,006 | 84.1% | 641,572 | 88.4% |
| 2015 | 533,314 | 84.2% | 636,279 | 87.8% |
| 2014 | 521,274 | 85.2% | 623,526 | 87.7% |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (School Signal analysis of DfE data: sum of council figures)
Which councils are hardest for a first-choice secondary place?
Greenwich had the lowest secondary first-choice rate in England for 2026 entry, at 60.2%, followed by Wandsworth (60.4%) and Lambeth (61.4%).
At the other end, Dorset offered 97.9% of applicants their first choice. Councils with fewer than 200 applicants are left out, so a handful of applications can't top the list.
- Greenwich60.2%
- Wandsworth60.4%
- Lambeth61.4%
- Richmond upon Thames62.2%
- Lewisham63.5%
- Hammersmith and Fulham64.5%
- Harrow65.6%
- Westminster65.8%
- Islington66.2%
- Bromley66.3%
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers
Greenwich admissionsWandsworth admissionsLambeth admissionsRichmond upon Thames admissionsLewisham admissions
Which councils are hardest for a first-choice primary place?
Hammersmith and Fulham had the lowest primary first-choice rate in England for 2026 entry, at 74.6%, followed by Kensington and Chelsea (75.4%) and Wandsworth (78.5%).
At the other end, Nottinghamshire offered 99.1% of applicants their first choice. Councils with fewer than 200 applicants are left out, so a handful of applications can't top the list.
- Hammersmith and Fulham74.6%
- Kensington and Chelsea75.4%
- Wandsworth78.5%
- Islington79.4%
- Lambeth80.6%
- Camden81.5%
- Westminster82.4%
- Southwark84.3%
- Haringey86.0%
- Barnet86.1%
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers
Hammersmith and Fulham admissionsKensington and Chelsea admissionsWandsworth admissionsIslington admissionsLambeth admissions
How many schools are oversubscribed?
38% of state secondary schools and 22% of state primary schools in England had more first-choice applications than places for 2026 entry.
That is 1,221 of 3,223 secondaries and 3,474 of 15,796 primaries. 65 secondaries and 50 primaries had at least two first choices per place.
12.5% of secondary applications came from families living in a different council area from the school.
Which secondary schools are the most oversubscribed?
Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham had the most first-choice applications per place of any state secondary school with 100+ places: 3.5 for every place in 2026.
| School | Council | Places | First choices | Per place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham | Birmingham | 123 | 432 | 3.5 |
| Dartford Grammar School | Kent | 179 | 569 | 3.2 |
| Ark Greenwich Free School | Greenwich | 115 | 357 | 3.1 |
| Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East | Birmingham | 122 | 362 | 3.0 |
| The King's (The Cathedral) School | Peterborough | 127 | 366 | 2.9 |
| Landau Forte College | Derby | 180 | 517 | 2.9 |
| King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford | Essex | 149 | 412 | 2.8 |
| Kendrick School | Reading | 127 | 351 | 2.8 |
| Reading School | Reading | 146 | 400 | 2.7 |
| Wootton Park School | West Northamptonshire | 112 | 301 | 2.7 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level)
Which primary schools are the most oversubscribed?
Al-Noor Voluntary Aided Muslim Primary School in Redbridge had the most first-choice applications per place of any state primary school with 30+ places: 3.4 for every place in 2026.
| School | Council | Places | First choices | Per place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Noor Voluntary Aided Muslim Primary School | Redbridge | 60 | 201 | 3.4 |
| Liverpool College | Liverpool | 88 | 255 | 2.9 |
| Pyrcroft Grange Primary School | Surrey | 30 | 81 | 2.7 |
| Oak Cottage Primary School | Solihull | 30 | 77 | 2.6 |
| Barons Court Primary School and Nursery | Southend-on-Sea | 35 | 89 | 2.5 |
| The Olive School, Birmingham | Birmingham | 90 | 224 | 2.5 |
| Merton Park Primary School | Merton | 30 | 74 | 2.5 |
| Caldershaw Primary School | Rochdale | 30 | 74 | 2.5 |
| Carlton Junior and Infant School | Kirklees | 30 | 73 | 2.4 |
| Fox Primary School | Kensington and Chelsea | 58 | 140 | 2.4 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level)
How many families appeal, and how many win?
Families lodged 51,873 school admission appeals in England in 2025; 38,639 reached a hearing and 7,498 succeeded (19.4% of those heard).
Appeals figures are published a year behind offers, so these are the latest available.
Infant class appeals succeeded less often (9.7% of those heard): the law limits infant classes to 30 pupils per teacher, so a panel can only uphold them on narrow grounds.
| Phase | Lodged | Heard | Successful | Success rate (of heard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary | 37,289 | 29,640 | 5,903 | 19.9% |
| Primary | 14,584 | 8,999 | 1,595 | 17.7% |
| of which infant classes | 8,250 | 5,128 | 499 | 9.7% |
| All appeals | 51,873 | 38,639 | 7,498 | 19.4% |
Source: DfE, Admission appeals for maintained and academy schools
How far away do the last places go?
In the councils that publish them, the typical last place offered on distance for 2026 went to a family 0.84 miles from a primary school and 1.71 miles from a secondary.
That covers 180 primary and 142 secondary schools in 27 councils. 97 of those primaries had a cut-off under a mile. Most councils do not publish cut-offs in a form that can be collected, so this is not a national figure.
A cut-off is not a boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants and how many places go first to looked-after children, siblings and other priority groups.
Methodology
- National rates are the sum of every council's offers divided by the sum of its applications, the same method DfE uses for its England table. Council rates are as DfE publishes them.
- School-level figures use each school's main entry point (Reception or Year 7) and schools that made at least one offer. "Oversubscribed" means more first-choice applications than offers made on national offer day; offers can differ from a school's published admission number.
- The most oversubscribed lists include only schools with 30+ (primary) or 100+ (secondary) places, so very small schools don't dominate them.
- Cut-off distances come from councils' published admissions booklets, converted to miles. Only distance criteria are counted (not sibling or tie-break rows), and implausible values are excluded.
- Percentages are rounded to one decimal place; counts to the nearest whole number.
Sources and licence
- Primary and secondary school applications and offers - Department for Education. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Admission appeals for maintained and academy schools - Department for Education. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Admissions booklets (last distance offered) - Local councils in England. As published by each council.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Cite this page
School Signal (2026). School admissions statistics 2026. https://www.schoolsignal.co.uk/statistics/school-admissions-2026 (last updated 13 October 2026).
You are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page.
Updates
- 13 October 2026: First published