School admissions in Croydon
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 27 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.
Croydon in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 34 schools in Croydon first 1,618 times for 1,648 places: 0.98 first choices per place. 7 of the 34 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 5 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.39 miles (Chestnut Park Primary School) to 0.89 miles (Harris Primary Academy Benson).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 11 schools in Croydon first 1,168 times for 1,498 places: 0.78 first choices per place. One of the 11 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.57 miles (Orchard Park High School) to 1.88 miles (Oasis Academy Coulsdon).
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
34 schools. 7 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
11 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oasis Academy Coulsdon | 1.08 | 163 | 1.882 miles |
| Harris Invictus Academy Croydon | 0.96 | 178 | not published |
| Orchard Park High School | 0.96 | 145 | 1.574 miles |
| Coloma Convent Girls' School | 0.78 | 160 | not published |
| Meridian High School | 0.75 | 113 | not published |
| Ark Blake Academy | 0.73 | 158 | 1.048 miles |
| Oasis Academy Shirley Park | 0.71 | 100 | 1.887 miles |
| The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy | 0.70 | 93 | not published |
| Archbishop Tenison's CofE High School | 0.67 | 138 | 1.021 miles |
| Shirley High School Performing Arts College | 0.59 | 142 | 2.034 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic High School | 0.42 | 108 | 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.