School admissions in Stowmarket

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 7 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.

Stowmarket in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 18 schools in Stowmarket first 416 times for 417 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Suffolk authority's 248 schools. 3 of the 18 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.34 miles (Grace Cook Primary School) to 0.98 miles (Freeman Community Primary School).

For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Stowmarket first 467 times for 469 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 0.99 across the Suffolk authority's 43 schools. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 5.21 miles (Stowmarket High School) to 10.18 miles (Debenham 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

18 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Wood Ley Community Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.29	42	0.59 miles 2026
Grace Cook Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.28	29	0.335 miles 2026
Freeman Community Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.10	29	0.978 miles 2026
Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.00	17	3.704 miles 2022
Mendlesham Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.00	14	not published
Old Newton Church of England Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.00	12	not published
Ringshall SchoolStowmarket	1.00	24	not published
Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided SchoolStowmarket	1.00	17	not published
Stonham Aspal Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.00	14	not published
Wetheringsett Church of England Primary SchoolStowmarket	1.00	5	not published
Bacton Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.93	14	not published
Trinity Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.92	25	not published
Abbot's Hall Community Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.91	58	not published
Combs Ford Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.91	33	not published
Crawford's Church of England Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.91	11	not published
Cedars Park Community Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.86	56	not published
Chilton Community Primary SchoolStowmarket	0.81	16	not published
Helmingham Primary School and NurseryStowmarket	0.00	1	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

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

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Debenham High SchoolStowmarket	1.04	141	10.177 miles 2026
Stowmarket High SchoolStowmarket	1.00	202	5.213 miles 2026
Stowupland High SchoolStowmarket	0.95	126	not published