School admissions in Dover
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 12 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.
Dover in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 20 schools in Dover first 571 times for 559 places: 1.02 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Kent authority's 429 schools. 7 of the 20 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 8 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.31 miles (White Cliffs Primary and Nursery School) to 3.49 miles (Selsted Church of England Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Dover first 729 times for 711 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 1.05 across the Kent authority's 103 schools. 4 of the 6 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.03 miles (St Edmund's Catholic School) to 1.93 miles (Dover Christ Church Academy).
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
20 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
6 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover Grammar School for Girls | 1.27 | 140 | not published |
| Dover Grammar School for Boys | 1.17 | 157 | not published |
| Dover Christ Church Academy | 1.05 | 131 | 1.927 miles |
| Duke of York's Royal Military School | 1.04 | 28 | not published |
| St Edmund's Catholic School | 0.99 | 138 | 1.033 miles |
| Astor Secondary School | 0.56 | 117 | 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.