School admissions in St Albans
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 30 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.
St Albans in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 35 schools in St Albans first 1,174 times for 1,172 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Hertfordshire authority's 364 schools. 7 of the 35 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.50 miles (Skyswood Primary & Nursery School) to 1.79 miles (Markyate Village School and Nursery).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 9 schools in St Albans first 1,644 times for 1,741 places: 0.94 first choices per place, against 1.03 across the Hertfordshire authority's 78 schools. 3 of the 9 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Sandringham School, to 0.63 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
35 schools. 7 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
9 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandringham School | 1.45 | 233 | 1013.94 m (≈0.63 mi) |
| Beaumont School | 1.28 | 225 | not published |
| Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School | 1.14 | 170 | not published |
| Samuel Ryder Academy | 1.00 | 140 | not published |
| St Albans Girls' School | 0.90 | 240 | not published |
| Loreto College | 0.88 | 146 | not published |
| The Marlborough Science Academy | 0.77 | 235 | not published |
| Townsend Church of England School | 0.48 | 168 | not published |
| Verulam School | 0.43 | 184 | 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.