School admissions in Northwich
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.
Northwich in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 26 schools in Northwich first 734 times for 738 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Cheshire West and Chester authority's 123 schools. 4 of the 26 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.16 miles (Whitegate CofE Primary School) to 3.19 miles (Winnington Park Community Primary and Nursery School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 5 schools in Northwich first 977 times for 981 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Cheshire West and Chester authority's 19 schools. 2 of the 5 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.90 miles (The County High School, Leftwich) to 5.62 miles (Weaverham High 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
26 schools. 4 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
5 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The County High School, Leftwich | 1.10 | 205 | 0.9 miles |
| Hartford Church of England High School | 1.02 | 233 | 3.656 miles |
| Weaverham High School | 1.00 | 225 | 5.621 miles |
| The Rudheath Senior Academy | 0.93 | 116 | not published |
| St Nicholas Catholic High School | 0.90 | 202 | 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.