School admissions in Portsmouth
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 22 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.
Portsmouth in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 29 schools in Portsmouth first 1,505 times for 1,503 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Portsmouth authority's 37 schools. 9 of the 29 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 10 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.30 miles (Langstone Primary Academy) to 1.18 miles (Gatcombe Park Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Portsmouth first 1,577 times for 1,586 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Portsmouth authority's 10 schools. 3 of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.07 miles (Admiral Lord Nelson School) to 1.72 miles (Trafalgar 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
29 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
8 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Edmund's Catholic School | 1.75 | 238 | not published |
| Admiral Lord Nelson School | 1.16 | 248 | 1.068 miles |
| Mayfield School | 1.04 | 110 | not published |
| Castle View Academy | 0.92 | 129 | not published |
| Springfield School | 0.92 | 225 | not published |
| Trafalgar School | 0.86 | 224 | 1.718 miles |
| Miltoncross Academy | 0.62 | 200 | not published |
| The Portsmouth Academy | 0.55 | 212 | 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.