School admissions in Tonbridge
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 16 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.
Tonbridge in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 21 schools in Tonbridge first 714 times for 721 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Kent authority's 429 schools. 5 of the 21 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 8 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.54 miles (Sussex Road Community Primary School) to 3.64 miles (Leigh Academy Horsmonden).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 7 schools in Tonbridge first 1,619 times for 1,501 places: 1.08 first choices per place, against 1.05 across the Kent authority's 103 schools. 2 of the 7 had more first choices than places. For 2025 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 3.82 miles (Leigh Academy Tonbridge) to 8.13 miles (Hillview School for Girls).
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
21 schools. 5 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
7 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Judd School | 2.23 | 179 | not published |
| Tonbridge Grammar School | 1.96 | 180 | not published |
| Hillview School for Girls | 0.94 | 235 | 8.134 miles |
| Weald of Kent Grammar School | 0.78 | 300 | not published |
| Leigh Academy Tonbridge | 0.77 | 179 | 3.817 miles |
| Leigh Academy Mascalls | 0.71 | 268 | not published |
| Leigh Academy Hugh Christie | 0.52 | 160 | 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.