School admissions in Oxford

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 50 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.

Oxford in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 48 schools in Oxford first 1,416 times for 1,427 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Oxfordshire authority's 245 schools. 9 of the 48 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.66 miles (Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School) to 1.14 miles (New Hinksey Church of England Primary School).

For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Oxford first 1,471 times for 1,493 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Oxfordshire authority's 39 schools. One of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2022 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Cheney School, to 1.69 miles.

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

48 schools. 9 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
St Michael's CofE Primary School, Oxford CityOxford	1.23	31	not published
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, OxfordOxford	1.18	28	0.886 miles 2026
St Ebbe's Church of England Aided Primary SchoolOxford	1.17	29	not published
Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.17	60	0.664 miles 2026
Larkrise Primary SchoolOxford	1.14	59	not published
Chalgrove Community Primary SchoolOxford	1.13	30	not published
Wolvercote Primary SchoolOxford	1.11	45	2.026 miles 2018
St Mary and St John Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.05	61	not published
St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, LittlemoreOxford	1.03	30	not published
Barton Park Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	26	not published
Bayards Hill SchoolOxford	1.00	19	not published
Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled)Oxford	1.00	28	2.034 miles 2024
Horspath Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	20	2.585 miles 2019
Kirtlington Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	15	not published
North Hinksey Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	23	not published
Sandhills Community Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	15	not published
St Francis Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	19	0.719 miles 2020
West Oxford Community Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	26	1.4 miles 2025
Wheatley Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	22	not published
William Fletcher Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	26	not published
Windale Primary SchoolOxford	1.00	20	not published
Pegasus SchoolOxford	0.98	59	0.992 miles 2018
Wood Farm Primary SchoolOxford	0.98	58	1.089 miles 2023
St Swithun's CofE Primary SchoolOxford	0.98	57	2.52 miles 2020
St Nicholas' Primary and Nursery SchoolOxford	0.97	33	1.106 miles 2012
Rose Hill Primary SchoolOxford	0.97	29	1.817 miles 2012
Garsington Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.96	28	2.383 miles 2019
Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolOxford	0.96	26	not published
Cutteslowe Primary SchoolOxford	0.96	23	not published
New Marston Primary SchoolOxford	0.95	21	not published
Orchard Meadow Primary SchoolOxford	0.95	20	0.768 miles 2012
Windmill Primary SchoolOxford	0.95	79	0.599 miles 2025
Botley SchoolOxford	0.93	14	not published
New Hinksey Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.93	14	1.143 miles 2026
St Frideswide Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.93	27	not published
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, OxfordOxford	0.92	51	not published
St Christopher's Church of England School, CowleyOxford	0.92	24	not published
St Aloysius' Catholic Primary SchoolOxford	0.91	11	not published
Wootton St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.91	11	not published
St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary SchoolOxford	0.90	10	not published
St Philip and James' Church of England Aided Primary School OxfordOxford	0.89	54	not published
East Oxford Primary SchoolOxford	0.88	24	1.682 miles 2012
Tyndale Community SchoolOxford	0.88	24	not published
Great Milton Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.84	25	4.754 miles 2025
John Henry Newman AcademyOxford	0.80	51	not published
Beckley Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.80	5	not published
Stadhampton Primary SchoolOxford	0.75	12	3.061 miles 2012
Little Milton Church of England Primary SchoolOxford	0.60	5	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.

Year 7 places, September 2026

8 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
The Cherwell SchoolOxford	1.63	243	not published
Oxford Spires AcademyOxford	0.99	213	not published
Wheatley Park SchoolOxford	0.95	176	not published
The Swan SchoolOxford	0.94	175	not published
Cheney SchoolOxford	0.88	260	1.687 miles 2022
Greyfriars Catholic SchoolOxford	0.74	96	not published
Matthew Arnold SchoolOxford	0.73	192	not published
The Oxford AcademyOxford	0.67	138	not published