School admissions in Central Bedfordshire

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 67 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.

Reception places, September 2026

94 schools. 29 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Dovery AcademyLeighton Buzzard	1.83	29	801.28 m (≈0.50 mi) 2026
Linslade Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	1.60	30	627.06 m (≈0.39 mi) 2022
Lark Rise AcademyDunstable	1.53	45	1412.97 m (≈0.88 mi) 2026
Lidlington Primary SchoolBedford	1.53	15	not published
Haynes Lower SchoolBedford	1.50	24	3551.8 m (≈2.21 mi) 2026
Clifton All Saints AcademyNear Shefford	1.40	30	not published
Toddington St George Church of England SchoolDunstable	1.36	58	3809.16 m (≈2.37 mi) 2026
Gravenhurst AcademyBedford	1.33	15	4921.27 m (≈3.06 mi) 2025
Raynsford Church of England AcademyHenlow	1.33	30	1380.8 m (≈0.86 mi) 2026
Beaudesert Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	1.32	56	984.86 m (≈0.61 mi) 2025
Heathwood Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	1.26	27	1144.27 m (≈0.71 mi) 2026
Watling Lower SchoolDunstable	1.25	28	965.81 m (≈0.60 mi) 2026
St Vincent's Catholic Primary SchoolDunstable	1.20	30	1317.26 m (≈0.82 mi) 2026
Potton Primary SchoolSandy	1.17	59	4098.24 m (≈2.55 mi) 2025
Woburn Lower SchoolWoburn	1.17	12	3371.7 m (≈2.10 mi) 2026
Maple Tree Primary SchoolSandy	1.13	30	1949.63 m (≈1.21 mi) 2026
St Mary's CofE Academy StotfoldHitchin	1.12	59	890.09 m (≈0.55 mi) 2026
Derwent Primary SchoolHenlow	1.10	60	2173.26 m (≈1.35 mi) 2026
Stanbridge Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	1.08	24	4216.87 m (≈2.62 mi) 2026
St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolLuton	1.07	28	3569.08 m (≈2.22 mi) 2026
Caldecote Church of England AcademyBiggleswade	1.07	15	3631.86 m (≈2.26 mi) 2026
Southill Lower SchoolBiggleswade	1.07	15	4046.78 m (≈2.51 mi) 2026
Thornhill Primary SchoolDunstable	1.04	89	1811.67 m (≈1.13 mi) 2026
Houghton Regis Primary SchoolDunstable	1.04	45	917.14 m (≈0.57 mi) 2022
Russell Lower SchoolAmpthill	1.04	90	5841.05 m (≈3.63 mi) 2026
Shefford Lower SchoolShefford	1.04	90	1979.12 m (≈1.23 mi) 2026
St. Augustine's AcademyDunstable	1.04	26	not published
Ashton St Peter's VA C of E SchoolDunstable	1.03	30	689.15 m (≈0.43 mi) 2026
Lawnside AcademyBiggleswade	1.02	60	1132.74 m (≈0.70 mi) 2026
Aspley Guise Village SchoolAspley Guise	1.00	16	2876.59 m (≈1.79 mi) 2022
Flitwick Lower SchoolBedford	1.00	56	not published
Greenfield CofE VC Lower SchoolGreenfield	1.00	29	not published
Harlington Lower SchoolDunstable	1.00	30	6970.8 m (≈4.33 mi) 2026
Kingsmoor Lower SchoolBedford	1.00	20	not published
Laburnum Primary SchoolSandy	1.00	21	not published
Maulden Lower SchoolBedford	1.00	23	not published
Moggerhanger Primary SchoolBedford	1.00	20	3327.85 m (≈2.07 mi) 2026
Silsoe CofE VC Lower SchoolBedford	1.00	29	not published
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary SchoolSandy	1.00	14	849.26 m (≈0.53 mi) 2024
Sundon Lower SchoolLuton	1.00	10	5380.72 m (≈3.34 mi) 2022
Templefield Lower SchoolBedford	1.00	37	not published
Totternhoe Church of England AcademyDunstable	1.00	14	4389.76 m (≈2.73 mi) 2022
Ramsey Manor Lower SchoolBedford	0.98	54	not published
Swallowfield PrimaryMilton Keynes	0.98	46	904.31 m (≈0.56 mi) 2025
St Christophers AcademyDunstable	0.98	42	not published
Robert Peel Primary SchoolSandy	0.97	39	not published
Marston Moreteyne VC SchoolMarston Moreteyne	0.97	107	not published
Gothic Mede AcademyArlesey	0.97	35	not published
Wrestlingworth CofE Infant SchoolSandy	0.95	22	not published
Cranfield Church of England AcademyBedford	0.95	86	2083.14 m (≈1.29 mi) 2022
Tithe Farm Primary SchoolDunstable	0.95	60	not published
John Donne Church of England Primary SchoolBedford	0.93	15	not published
Pulford CofE VA Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.93	45	798.39 m (≈0.50 mi) 2025
Sutton CofE VA Primary SchoolSutton	0.93	15	3300.35 m (≈2.05 mi) 2026
Roecroft Lower SchoolHitchin	0.93	81	not published
Houghton Conquest Primary SchoolBedford	0.91	23	not published
The Vale AcademyDunstable	0.91	56	3215.41 m (≈2.00 mi) 2022
Beecroft AcademyDunstable	0.90	60	1207.04 m (≈0.75 mi) 2024
Shillington Lower SchoolHitchin	0.90	10	not published
The Rushmere Park AcademyLeighton Buzzard	0.90	29	1469.06 m (≈0.91 mi) 2026
The Firs Lower SchoolBedford	0.90	48	4979.28 m (≈3.09 mi) 2025
Langford Village AcademyBiggleswade	0.89	45	3055.81 m (≈1.90 mi) 2022
St Mary's VA CofE Lower SchoolClophill	0.88	26	not published
Eaton Bray AcademyDunstable	0.88	17	not published
Fairfield Park Lower SchoolFairfield Park	0.87	85	2068.39 m (≈1.29 mi) 2025
Biggleswade AcademyBiggleswade	0.87	114	not published
Dunstable Icknield Lower SchoolDunstable	0.87	38	2454.05 m (≈1.52 mi) 2024
Hadrian AcademyDunstable	0.87	60	3112.68 m (≈1.93 mi) 2025
Hockliffe Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.87	15	5002.79 m (≈3.11 mi) 2026
Studham Village CofE AcademyStudham	0.87	15	not published
Lime Tree Primary AcademyCentral Bedfordshire	0.86	59	not published
Slip End Village SchoolLuton	0.86	22	not published
Greenleas SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.86	43	not published
Lancot SchoolDunstable	0.85	60	not published
The Mary Bassett Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.85	59	2113.35 m (≈1.31 mi) 2025
Westoning Lower SchoolBedford	0.85	13	not published
Eversholt Lower SchoolMilton Keynes	0.83	6	not published
Stondon Lower SchoolHenlow	0.81	21	1310.87 m (≈0.81 mi) 2022
Chalton Lower SchoolLuton	0.80	15	2890.82 m (≈1.80 mi) 2026
St Andrew's CofE VC Primary SchoolBiggleswade	0.79	57	not published
Ardley Hill AcademyDunstable	0.78	37	2269.6 m (≈1.41 mi) 2025
Northill CofE AcademyBiggleswade	0.78	9	not published
Southcott Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.77	56	3244.4 m (≈2.02 mi) 2024
Clipstone Brook Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.75	60	1747.67 m (≈1.09 mi) 2025
Everton Heath Primary SchoolNr Sandy	0.75	12	not published
Kensworth Church of England AcademyDunstable	0.75	8	not published
Thomas Whitehead Church of England AcademyDunstable	0.73	30	not published
Campton AcademyShefford	0.71	28	not published
Meppershall Church of England AcademyShefford	0.68	28	not published
Caddington Village SchoolLuton	0.67	42	not published
Leedon Lower SchoolLeighton Buzzard	0.63	60	not published
Husborne Crawley Lower SchoolHusborne Crawley	0.62	8	not published
St Leonards CE AcademyLeighton Buzzard	0.56	27	4697.8 m (≈2.92 mi) 2025
Ridgmont Lower SchoolBedford	0.50	2	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

9 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Houstone SchoolDunstable	1.14	184
Stratton SchoolBiggleswade	1.02	131
Edward Peake CofE VC SchoolBiggleswade	0.99	71
Henlow Church of England AcademyHenlow	0.98	177
Sandy Secondary SchoolSandy	0.97	191
Queensbury AcademyDunstable	0.91	190
Manshead Church of England AcademyLuton	0.86	189
Fulbrook SchoolMilton Keynes	0.78	40
All Saints Academy DunstableDunstable	0.69	85