School admissions in Ipswich
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 42 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.
Ipswich in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 60 schools in Ipswich first 1,972 times for 1,970 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Suffolk authority's 248 schools. 9 of the 60 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 10 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.12 miles (St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich) to 4.18 miles (Holbrook Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 12 schools in Ipswich first 2,272 times for 2,287 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 0.99 across the Suffolk authority's 43 schools. 5 of the 12 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.71 miles (Northgate High School) to 1.57 miles (Ormiston Endeavour 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
60 schools. 9 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. 5 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northgate High School | 1.34 | 235 | 0.71 miles |
| Claydon High School | 1.21 | 148 | 1.869 miles |
| Kesgrave High School | 1.15 | 294 | 5.292 miles |
| Chantry Academy | 1.09 | 202 | 0.265 miles |
| Copleston High School | 1.08 | 319 | 1.166 miles |
| Hadleigh High School | 0.94 | 128 | not published |
| Ormiston Endeavour Academy | 0.93 | 174 | 1.571 miles |
| St Alban's Catholic High School | 0.87 | 164 | 1.463 miles |
| Holbrook Academy | 0.83 | 83 | 4.248 miles |
| Westbourne Academy | 0.75 | 173 | 1.335 miles |
| Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy | 0.69 | 167 | not published |
| Ipswich Academy | 0.69 | 200 | 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.