School admissions in Ashbourne

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 6 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.

Ashbourne in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 20 schools in Ashbourne first 236 times for 233 places: 1.01 first choices per place. 5 of the 20 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 5 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.80 miles (Clifton CofE Primary School) to 4.25 miles (Mugginton CofE Primary School).

Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.

Reception places, September 2026

20 schools. 5 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Clifton CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.53	15	0.803 miles 2026
Norbury CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.33	12	2.488 miles 2026
St Oswald's CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.17	30	not published
Osmaston CofE (VC) Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.15	20	1.433 miles 2026
Doveridge Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.12	16	not published
Bradley CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.00	1	not published
Fitzherbert CofE (Aided) Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.00	3	not published
Ilam Church of England Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.00	2	not published
Kirk Ireton C of E Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.00	4	not published
Long Lane Church of England Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.00	3	not published
Mugginton CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	1.00	13	4.246 miles 2026
St Augustine's CofE AcademyAshbourne	1.00	4	not published
Brailsford CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	0.91	23	not published
Longford CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	0.91	11	not published
Hilltop Primary AcademyAshbourne	0.85	20	not published
Kniveton CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	0.83	12	2.958 miles 2026
Kirk Langley CofE Primary SchoolAshbourne	0.82	11	not published
Ashbourne Primary SchoolAshbourne	0.79	24	not published
Hulland CofE Primary & Nursery SchoolAshbourne	0.71	7	not published
Marston Montgomery Primary SchoolAshbourne	0.00	2	not published

First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.