School admissions in Cambridge
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 84 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.
Cambridge in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 77 schools in Cambridge first 2,282 times for 2,280 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Cambridgeshire authority's 199 schools. 14 of the 77 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 13 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.32 miles (Trumpington Meadows Primary School) to 4.38 miles (Histon and Impington Park Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 16 schools in Cambridge first 3,151 times for 3,069 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Cambridgeshire authority's 34 schools. 8 of the 16 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 6 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 2.56 miles (Trumpington Community College) to 7.60 miles (Swavesey Village College).
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
77 schools. 14 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
16 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterton Community College | 1.68 | 174 | not published |
| St Bede's Inter-Church School | 1.63 | 177 | 4.203 miles |
| Parkside Community College | 1.19 | 113 | 0.861 miles |
| Cambourne Village College | 1.19 | 289 | 6.644 miles |
| Linton Village College | 1.17 | 145 | 6.056 miles |
| Impington Village College | 1.15 | 232 | 1.391 miles |
| Comberton Village College | 1.10 | 281 | 3.925 miles |
| Sawston Village College | 1.03 | 231 | 3.506 miles |
| Northstowe Learning Community | 0.96 | 179 | 2.489 miles |
| Swavesey Village College | 0.95 | 259 | 7.6 miles |
| Trumpington Community College | 0.93 | 121 | 2.556 miles |
| Bottisham Village College | 0.78 | 250 | 6.403 miles |
| The Netherhall School | 0.77 | 201 | 2.528 miles |
| Cottenham Village College | 0.73 | 142 | 5.099 miles |
| Coleridge Community College | 0.47 | 125 | 1.213 miles |
| North Cambridge Academy | 0.45 | 150 | 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.