School admissions in Dudley
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 18 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.
Dudley in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 22 schools in Dudley first 962 times for 996 places: 0.97 first choices per place. 5 of the 22 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.28 miles (Blowers Green Primary School) to 1.27 miles (Alder Coppice Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Dudley first 1,393 times for 1,460 places: 0.95 first choices per place. 3 of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.45 miles (Bishop Milner Catholic College) to 2.20 miles (St James 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
22 schools. 5 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
8 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Milner Catholic College | 1.57 | 145 | 720 m (≈0.45 mi) |
| The Dormston School | 1.02 | 219 | 2426 m (≈1.51 mi) |
| The Crestwood School | 1.01 | 209 | 1953 m (≈1.21 mi) |
| The Link Academy | 0.89 | 196 | 2826 m (≈1.76 mi) |
| Ellowes Hall Sports College | 0.89 | 185 | not published |
| Beacon Hill Academy | 0.80 | 219 | not published |
| St James Academy | 0.79 | 176 | 3541 m (≈2.20 mi) |
| Pegasus Academy | 0.71 | 111 | 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.