School admissions in Dunstable
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 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.
Reception places, September 2026
22 schools. 9 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lark Rise Academy | 1.53 | 45 | 1412.97 m (≈0.88 mi) |
| Toddington St George Church of England School | 1.36 | 58 | 3809.16 m (≈2.37 mi) |
| Watling Lower School | 1.25 | 28 | 965.81 m (≈0.60 mi) |
| Edlesborough Primary Academy | 1.23 | 30 | 0.856 miles |
| St Vincent's Catholic Primary School | 1.20 | 30 | 1317.26 m (≈0.82 mi) |
| Thornhill Primary School | 1.04 | 89 | 1811.67 m (≈1.13 mi) |
| Houghton Regis Primary School | 1.04 | 45 | 917.14 m (≈0.57 mi) |
| St. Augustine's Academy | 1.04 | 26 | not published |
| Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School | 1.03 | 30 | 689.15 m (≈0.43 mi) |
| Harlington Lower School | 1.00 | 30 | 6970.8 m (≈4.33 mi) |
| Totternhoe Church of England Academy | 1.00 | 14 | 4389.76 m (≈2.73 mi) |
| St Christophers Academy | 0.98 | 42 | not published |
| Tithe Farm Primary School | 0.95 | 60 | not published |
| The Vale Academy | 0.91 | 56 | 3215.41 m (≈2.00 mi) |
| Beecroft Academy | 0.90 | 60 | 1207.04 m (≈0.75 mi) |
| Eaton Bray Academy | 0.88 | 17 | not published |
| Dunstable Icknield Lower School | 0.87 | 38 | 2454.05 m (≈1.52 mi) |
| Hadrian Academy | 0.87 | 60 | 3112.68 m (≈1.93 mi) |
| Lancot School | 0.85 | 60 | not published |
| Ardley Hill Academy | 0.78 | 37 | 2269.6 m (≈1.41 mi) |
| Kensworth Church of England Academy | 0.75 | 8 | not published |
| Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy | 0.73 | 30 | 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.
Year 7 places, September 2026
3 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Houstone School | 1.14 | 184 |
| Queensbury Academy | 0.91 | 190 |
| All Saints Academy Dunstable | 0.69 | 85 |
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.