School admissions in Walsall
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 42 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.
Walsall in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 62 schools in Walsall first 2,534 times for 2,542 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 16 of the 62 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 17 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.23 miles (North Walsall Primary Academy) to 2.43 miles (Castlefort Academy).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 15 schools in Walsall first 3,256 times for 2,987 places: 1.09 first choices per place. 7 of the 15 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 5 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.19 miles (Barr Beacon School) to 4.04 miles (Brownhills Ormiston Academy).
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
62 schools. 16 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
15 schools. 7 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Mary's Grammar School | 2.06 | 178 | not published |
| Walsall Academy | 1.85 | 202 | not published |
| Queen Mary's High School | 1.77 | 149 | not published |
| Barr Beacon School | 1.26 | 264 | 1.19 miles |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic College | 1.25 | 188 | not published |
| Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy | 1.08 | 256 | 1.492 miles |
| Cheslyn Hay Academy | 1.03 | 222 | 1.258 miles |
| Brownhills Ormiston Academy | 0.88 | 147 | 4.04 miles |
| Great Wyrley Academy | 0.87 | 148 | 4.236 miles |
| Blue Coat Church of England Academy | 0.84 | 154 | not published |
| Aldridge School - A Science College | 0.83 | 259 | not published |
| Bloxwich Academy | 0.77 | 180 | 1.458 miles |
| West Walsall E-ACT Academy | 0.73 | 216 | 1.21 miles |
| Joseph Leckie Academy | 0.72 | 296 | not published |
| Shire Oak Academy | 0.52 | 128 | 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.