School admissions in Keighley
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 15 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.
Keighley in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 33 schools in Keighley first 983 times for 992 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 7 of the 33 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 10 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.40 miles (Our Lady of Victories Catholic School) to 2.82 miles (Merlin Top Primary Academy).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 4 schools in Keighley first 774 times for 783 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 2 of the 4 had more first choices than places.
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
33 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
4 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Carlton Keighley | 1.35 | 171 |
| South Craven School | 1.13 | 266 |
| Beckfoot Oakbank | 0.75 | 212 |
| The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy | 0.62 | 134 |
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.