School admissions in Ashford (Kent)
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 27 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.
Ashford (Kent) in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 38 schools in Ashford (Kent) first 1,373 times for 1,348 places: 1.02 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Kent authority's 429 schools. 13 of the 38 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 17 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.26 miles (High Halden Church of England Primary School) to 3.68 miles (John Mayne Church of England Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 5 schools in Ashford (Kent) first 1,069 times for 1,067 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.05 across the Kent authority's 103 schools. 3 of the 5 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Towers School and Sixth Form Centre, to 3.44 miles.
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
38 schools. 13 received more first preferences than they had places.
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.
Year 7 places, September 2026
5 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highworth Grammar School | 1.25 | 214 | not published |
| The Norton Knatchbull School | 1.17 | 192 | not published |
| Towers School and Sixth Form Centre | 1.01 | 240 | 3.442 miles |
| The North School | 0.96 | 206 | 1.421 miles |
| The John Wallis Church of England Academy | 0.64 | 215 | 1.398 miles |
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.