School admissions in Gloucester
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
54 schools. 19 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
12 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Thomas Rich's School | 1.29 | 150 | not published |
| Denmark Road High School | 1.29 | 147 | not published |
| St Peter's Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre | 1.29 | 230 | not published |
| Churchdown School | 1.23 | 238 | not published |
| The Crypt School | 1.07 | 147 | not published |
| Severn Vale School | 1.05 | 264 | 0.95 miles |
| Ribston Hall High School | 1.02 | 149 | not published |
| Chosen Hill School | 1.01 | 209 | 2.61 miles |
| Barnwood Park School | 0.95 | 164 | 1.45 miles |
| Holmleigh Park High School | 0.90 | 247 | 2.02 miles |
| Henley Bank High School | 0.80 | 185 | 1.82 miles |
| Gloucester Academy | 0.60 | 227 | 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.