School admissions in Brighton
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 16 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.
Brighton in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 34 schools in Brighton first 1,349 times for 1,358 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 8 of the 34 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 9 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.53 miles (Carlton Hill Primary School) to 3.62 miles (Westdene Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Brighton first 1,118 times for 1,195 places: 0.94 first choices per place. One of the 6 had more first choices than places.
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
34 schools. 8 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
6 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Varndean School | 1.25 | 279 |
| Dorothy Stringer School | 0.91 | 319 |
| Portslade Aldridge Community Academy | 0.87 | 172 |
| Brighton Aldridge Community Academy | 0.84 | 134 |
| Longhill High School | 0.75 | 93 |
| Patcham High School | 0.73 | 198 |
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.