School admissions in Dartford
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 19 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.
Dartford in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 24 schools in Dartford first 1,148 times for 1,159 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 8 of the 24 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 10 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.41 miles (St Anselm's Catholic Primary School) to 3.03 miles (Maypole Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 9 schools in Dartford first 2,064 times for 1,569 places: 1.32 first choices per place. 4 of the 9 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Dartford Science & Technology College, to 1.53 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
24 schools. 8 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. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartford Grammar School | 3.18 | 179 | not published |
| Dartford Grammar School for Girls | 2.40 | 178 | not published |
| Dartford Science & Technology College | 1.16 | 148 | 1.534 miles |
| Wilmington Grammar School for Girls | 1.07 | 180 | not published |
| Wilmington Grammar School for Boys | 0.99 | 180 | not published |
| Haberdashers' Crayford Academy | 0.93 | 180 | not published |
| Leigh UTC Dartford | 0.76 | 119 | not published |
| Stone Lodge School | 0.68 | 148 | not published |
| Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy | 0.64 | 257 | 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.