School admissions in Colchester

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 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.

Reception places, September 2026

68 schools. 18 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Kendall Church of England Primary SchoolColchester	1.90	30
Baynards Primary SchoolColchester	1.57	14
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, ColchesterColchester	1.37	30
Myland Community Primary SchoolColchester	1.29	45
Kelvedon St Mary's Church of England Primary AcademyColchester	1.28	60
Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired PupilsColchester	1.28	29
St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, ColchesterColchester	1.26	31
Home Farm Primary SchoolColchester	1.20	59
Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	1.20	30
Alresford Primary SchoolColchester	1.17	30
Boxted St Peter's Church of England SchoolColchester	1.17	30
Highwoods Community Primary SchoolColchester	1.17	60
Fingringhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolColchester	1.13	15
Langenhoe Community Primary SchoolColchester	1.13	15
Tiptree Heath Primary SchoolColchester	1.07	30
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, ColchesterCOLCHESTER	1.03	30
St Luke's Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	1.02	45
Brightlingsea Primary School and NurseryColchester	1.01	75
Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary AcademyColchester	1.00	4
Chappel CofE Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	1.00	13
Fordham All Saints CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	1.00	14
Gosbecks Primary SchoolColchester	1.00	22
Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	1.00	8
Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and AldhamColchester	1.00	7
King's Ford Infant School and NurseryColchester	1.00	25
Mersea Island SchoolColchester	1.00	41
Messing Primary SchoolColchester	1.00	12
Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	1.00	29
St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, ColchesterColchester	1.00	20
Willow Brook Primary School and NurseryColchester	1.00	9
Montgomery Primary School, ColchesterColchester	0.99	71
Brinkley Grove Primary SchoolColchester	0.98	41
Hazelmere Infant School and NurseryColchester	0.97	36
Millfields Primary SchoolColchester	0.97	30
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	0.97	29
Stanway Fiveways Primary SchoolColchester	0.96	48
Earls Colne Primary School and NurseryColchester	0.96	47
St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, RowhedgeColchester	0.96	47
St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, CoggeshallColchester	0.96	45
Roach Vale Primary SchoolColchester	0.95	21
Elmstead Primary SchoolColchester	0.95	20
Monkwick Infant and Nursery SchoolColchester	0.94	36
Cherry Tree AcademyColchester	0.93	15
Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West BergholtColchester	0.93	59
Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester	0.93	29
Hamilton Primary SchoolColchester	0.93	57
Queen Boudica Primary SchoolColchester	0.92	53
St John's Green Primary SchoolColchester	0.92	60
Braiswick Primary SchoolColchester	0.91	58
North Primary School and NurseryColchester	0.91	57
Unity Primary AcademyColchester	0.91	34
Great Bentley Primary SchoolColchester	0.91	55
Broomgrove Infant SchoolColchester	0.91	32
Old Heath Community Primary SchoolColchester	0.90	21
Lakelands Primary SchoolColchester	0.90	48
Prettygate Infant SchoolColchester	0.89	55
The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary SchoolColchester	0.89	18
Stanway Primary SchoolColchester	0.89	44
Feering Church of England Primary SchoolColchester	0.88	25
Langham Primary AcademyColchester	0.86	14
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolColchester	0.85	20
St James the Great Church of England Primary SchoolColchester	0.84	57
Friars Grove Primary SchoolColchester	0.84	43
St. George's SchoolColchester	0.84	55
Camulos AcademyColchester	0.83	58
St George's Church of England Primary School, Great BromleyColchester	0.82	17
St Andrew's Church of England Primary Academy, Marks TeyColchester	0.79	29
Milldene Primary SchoolColchester	0.46	26

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

15 schools. 7 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolColchester	2.19	128	not published
Colchester County High School for GirlsColchester	1.69	190	not published
The Gilberd SchoolColchester	1.31	306	not published
The Thomas Lord Audley SchoolColchester	1.30	185	not published
St Benedict's Catholic CollegeColchester	1.23	173	not published
Honywood SchoolColchester	1.07	179	not published
East Bergholt High SchoolColchester	1.03	189	6.691 miles 2026
The Stanway SchoolColchester	0.93	273	not published
Colne Community SchoolColchester	0.91	256	not published
Philip Morant School and CollegeColchester	0.81	305	not published
Thurstable SchoolColchester	0.80	184	not published
The Trinity SchoolColchester	0.71	177	not published
Colchester AcademyColchester	0.66	160	not published
St Helena SchoolColchester	0.65	178	not published
Paxman AcademyColchester	0.60	174	not published