School admissions in Canterbury
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 20 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.
Canterbury in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 28 schools in Canterbury first 907 times for 920 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Kent authority's 429 schools. 8 of the 28 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 9 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.06 miles (St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury) to 4.21 miles (Preston Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Canterbury first 1,275 times for 1,191 places: 1.07 first choices per place, against 1.05 across the Kent authority's 103 schools. 5 of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.40 miles (St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury) to 2.63 miles (Barton Manor 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
28 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
8 schools. 5 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys | 1.34 | 145 | not published |
| The Canterbury Academy | 1.22 | 203 | not published |
| St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury | 1.22 | 166 | 1.4 miles |
| Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School | 1.20 | 166 | not published |
| Barton Court Grammar School | 1.16 | 125 | not published |
| Barton Manor School | 1.00 | 147 | 2.628 miles |
| Orion Spires | 0.72 | 106 | not published |
| The Archbishop's School | 0.48 | 133 | 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.