School admissions in Rugby
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 28 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.
Rugby in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 30 schools in Rugby first 1,103 times for 1,100 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 6 of the 30 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 8 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.27 miles (The Griffin Primary School) to 1.03 miles (Riverside Academy).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Rugby first 1,600 times for 1,476 places: 1.08 first choices per place. 4 of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.32 miles (Ashlawn School) to 4.14 miles (The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College).
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
30 schools. 6 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. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Sheriff School | 2.13 | 150 | not published |
| Rugby High School | 1.66 | 150 | not published |
| Rugby Free Secondary School | 1.39 | 168 | 1.04 miles |
| Houlton School | 1.04 | 172 | 2.85 miles |
| The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College | 0.96 | 208 | 4.14 miles |
| Harris Church of England Academy | 0.82 | 179 | 1.58 miles |
| Ashlawn School | 0.76 | 245 | 1.324 miles |
| Bilton School | 0.43 | 204 | 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.