School admissions in Carnforth
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 2 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.
Carnforth in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 15 schools in Carnforth first 217 times for 217 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 2 of the 15 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 2.61 miles (Ingleton Primary School) to 3.00 miles (St Mary's CofE Primary 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
15 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 1.07 | 29 | 3 miles |
| Ingleton Primary School | 1.03 | 30 | 2.613 miles |
| Arkholme Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 12 | not published |
| Arnside National CofE School | 1.00 | 8 | not published |
| Carnforth Christ Church, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary School | 1.00 | 4 | not published |
| Carnforth Community Primary School | 1.00 | 14 | not published |
| Holme Primary School | 1.00 | 14 | not published |
| Melling St Wilfrid Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 5 | not published |
| Nether Kellet Community Primary School | 1.00 | 15 | not published |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Carnforth | 1.00 | 10 | not published |
| Over Kellet Wilson's Endowed Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 14 | not published |
| Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 1.00 | 3 | not published |
| Yealand Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 3 | not published |
| Burton Morewood CofE Primary School | 0.95 | 20 | not published |
| Bolton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School | 0.94 | 36 | 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.