School admissions in Crawley
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 23 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.
Crawley in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 28 schools in Crawley first 1,492 times for 1,492 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the West Sussex authority's 208 schools. 10 of the 28 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 6 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.29 miles (Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Primary School) to 1.35 miles (Forge Wood Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 7 schools in Crawley first 1,430 times for 1,461 places: 0.98 first choices per place, against 0.99 across the West Sussex authority's 40 schools. 2 of the 7 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Oriel High School, to 1.05 miles.
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. 10 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
7 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, Crawley | 1.62 | 175 | not published |
| Hazelwick School | 1.40 | 290 | 1389.6 m (≈0.86 mi) |
| Oriel High School | 0.95 | 260 | 1686.4 m (≈1.05 mi) |
| Ifield Community College | 0.89 | 235 | not published |
| Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley | 0.68 | 235 | 1626.64 m (≈1.01 mi) |
| Thomas Bennett Community College | 0.50 | 205 | not published |
| The Gatwick School | 0.38 | 61 | 4895.68 m (≈3.04 mi) |
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.