School admissions in Watford
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 27 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.
Watford in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 30 schools in Watford first 1,367 times for 1,381 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Hertfordshire authority's 364 schools. 13 of the 30 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 11 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.20 miles (Warren Dell Primary School) to 1.17 miles (Cassiobury Infant and Nursery School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Watford first 1,649 times for 1,290 places: 1.28 first choices per place, against 1.03 across the Hertfordshire authority's 78 schools. 4 of the 6 had more first choices than places. For 2023 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Future Academies Watford, to 1.78 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
30 schools. 13 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
6 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parmiter's School | 2.37 | 205 | not published |
| Watford Grammar School for Boys | 1.88 | 211 | not published |
| Watford Grammar School for Girls | 1.77 | 203 | not published |
| Saint Michael's Catholic High School | 1.08 | 174 | not published |
| Westfield Academy | 0.51 | 231 | not published |
| Future Academies Watford | 0.38 | 266 | 2858.01 m (≈1.78 mi) |
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.