School admissions in Bolton
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 71 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.
Bolton in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 94 schools in Bolton first 3,354 times for 3,404 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 25 of the 94 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 31 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.16 miles (Moorgate Primary School) to 1.32 miles (Blackrod Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 21 schools in Bolton first 4,084 times for 4,135 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 8 of the 21 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 12 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.66 miles (Eden Boys' School, Bolton) to 4.05 miles (Rivington and Blackrod High 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
94 schools. 25 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
21 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Boys' School, Bolton | 1.66 | 116 | 0.66 miles |
| St James's Church of England High School | 1.60 | 197 | not published |
| Sharples School | 1.46 | 235 | 1.1 miles |
| Bolton Muslim Girls School | 1.29 | 177 | 1.09 miles |
| Essa Academy | 1.11 | 200 | 0.82 miles |
| St Joseph's RC High School | 1.06 | 205 | 2.7 miles |
| Rivington and Blackrod High School | 1.01 | 278 | 4.05 miles |
| Canon Slade School | 1.00 | 293 | 1.53 miles |
| Birtenshaw School Bolton | 1.00 | 1 | not published |
| Turton School | 0.97 | 259 | 2.2 miles |
| Little Lever School | 0.94 | 231 | 2.7 miles |
| Thornleigh Salesian College | 0.93 | 260 | 0.91 miles |
| Ladybridge High School | 0.92 | 230 | 1.7 miles |
| Kearsley Academy | 0.86 | 170 | not published |
| Westhoughton High School | 0.86 | 258 | 2.34 miles |
| Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy | 0.82 | 174 | 0.93 miles |
| Bolton St Catherine's Academy | 0.81 | 134 | not published |
| University Collegiate School | 0.78 | 117 | not published |
| King's Leadership Academy Bolton | 0.73 | 176 | 1.05 miles |
| Smithills School | 0.56 | 226 | not published |
| Harper Green School | 0.53 | 198 | 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.