School admissions in Darlington
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 14 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.
Darlington in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 29 schools in Darlington first 1,038 times for 1,033 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 7 of the 29 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 8 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.40 miles (St John's Church of England Academy) to 3.59 miles (Hurworth Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 9 schools in Darlington first 1,244 times for 1,242 places: 1.00 first choices per place. One of the 9 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Hummersknott Academy, to 3.11 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
29 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
9 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel College | 1.41 | 216 | not published |
| Staindrop Academy | 0.99 | 95 | 10.96 miles |
| Haughton Academy | 0.97 | 187 | not published |
| Polam Hall School | 0.94 | 107 | not published |
| Longfield Academy | 0.94 | 130 | not published |
| Hurworth School | 0.93 | 118 | not published |
| St Aidan's Church of England Academy | 0.92 | 83 | not published |
| Wyvern Academy | 0.85 | 59 | not published |
| Hummersknott Academy | 0.83 | 247 | 3.109 miles |
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.