School admissions in Maidstone
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 36 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.
Maidstone in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 42 schools in Maidstone first 1,760 times for 1,758 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Kent authority's 429 schools. 14 of the 42 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 19 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.36 miles (Senacre Wood Primary School) to 2.62 miles (Mereworth Community Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 12 schools in Maidstone first 2,310 times for 2,334 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.05 across the Kent authority's 103 schools. 5 of the 12 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 6 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.64 miles (St Simon Stock Catholic School) to 5.84 miles (The Lenham School).
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
42 schools. 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Science and Technology Maidstone | 1.63 | 186 | 1 miles |
| Cornwallis Academy | 1.41 | 201 | 1.785 miles |
| Maidstone Grammar School | 1.15 | 205 | not published |
| Invicta Grammar School | 1.14 | 255 | not published |
| Oakwood Park Grammar School | 1.02 | 160 | not published |
| Maidstone Grammar School for Girls | 0.99 | 133 | not published |
| The Lenham School | 0.94 | 158 | 5.84 miles |
| Valley Park School | 0.94 | 237 | 1.541 miles |
| The Maplesden Noakes School | 0.93 | 236 | 1.41 miles |
| St Simon Stock Catholic School | 0.87 | 187 | 0.641 miles |
| New Line Learning Academy | 0.44 | 206 | not published |
| St Augustine Academy | 0.35 | 170 | 4.109 miles |
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.