School admissions in Croydon

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 56 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

78 schools. 22 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Beaumont Primary SchoolPurley	2.13	30	0.42 miles 2026
Rockmount Primary SchoolLondon	1.81	59	0.31 miles 2026
Park Hill Infant SchoolCroydon	1.43	90	0.487 miles 2026
Chipstead Valley Primary SchoolCoulsdon	1.36	89	0.481 miles 2026
St Aidan's Catholic Primary SchoolCoulsdon	1.33	30	not published
Chestnut Park Primary SchoolCroydon	1.30	86	0.385 miles 2026
Greenvale Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	1.21	29	0.525 miles 2026
St John's CofE Primary SchoolCroydon	1.20	59	not published
Cypress Primary SchoolLondon	1.20	90	0.358 miles 2026
David Livingstone AcademyThornton Heath	1.20	30	0.462 miles 2026
Harris Primary Academy BensonCroydon	1.20	30	0.885 miles 2026
Heathfield AcademyCroydon	1.18	60	0.491 miles 2026
St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery SchoolThornton Heath	1.17	59	not published
St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary SchoolLondon	1.15	59	not published
The Hayes Primary SchoolKenley	1.15	59	1.079 miles 2026
Krishna Avanti Primary SchoolCroydon	1.13	30	1.406 miles 2022
St Peter's Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	1.12	60	0.603 miles 2026
Oasis Academy RyelandsLondon	1.09	57	0.429 miles 2026
Margaret Roper Catholic Primary SchoolPurley	1.03	30	not published
Harris Primary Academy CroydonCroydon	1.02	60	0.864 miles 2026
Keston Primary SchoolCoulsdon	1.02	60	0.947 miles 2026
Downsview Primary and Nursery SchoolLondon	1.01	90	0.832 miles 2026
Castle Hill AcademyCroydon	1.00	24	not published
Forest AcademyCroydon	1.00	12	not published
Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolCroydon	1.00	7	not published
Heavers Farm Primary SchoolLondon	1.00	22	not published
Rowdown Primary SchoolCroydon	1.00	32	not published
St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary AcademyThornton Heath	1.00	4	not published
Tudor AcademyCroydon	1.00	38	not published
Applegarth AcademyCroydon	0.98	49	1.01 miles 2021
The Minster Nursery and Infants Church of England AcademyCroydon	0.97	36	not published
St Mary's Catholic Infant SchoolCroydon	0.97	60	not published
Gonville AcademyThornton Heath	0.96	47	0.524 miles 2023
Quest Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	0.95	22	not published
Coulsdon CofE Primary SchoolOld Coulsdon	0.95	20	not published
Ecclesbourne Primary SchoolThornton Heath	0.95	60	0.844 miles 2026
West Thornton Primary SchoolCroydon	0.95	100	1.375 miles 2018
Regina Coeli Catholic Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	0.95	59	not published
John Wood School & NurseryCroydon	0.94	35	not published
Forestdale Primary SchoolCroydon	0.94	47	0.723 miles 2025
Gresham Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	0.93	30	1.622 miles 2026
St Mark's Church of England Primary AcademyLondon	0.93	30	not published
St Joseph's RC Infant SchoolLondon	0.93	28	not published
Courtwood Primary SchoolCroydon	0.92	26	1.579 miles 2025
Paxton Academy Sports And ScienceThornton Heath	0.91	58	not published
Aerodrome Primary AcademyCroydon	0.91	55	0.848 miles 2025
Kenley Primary SchoolWhyteleafe	0.91	11	0.848 miles 2022
St Chad's Catholic Primary SchoolLondon	0.91	33	not published
Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' SchoolThornton Heath	0.90	83	not published
Atwood Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	0.90	60	1.3 miles 2025
Ridgeway Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	0.90	80	0.947 miles 2025
Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley)Purley	0.90	48	not published
Oasis Academy Shirley Park PrimaryCroydon	0.90	48	not published
Monks Orchard Primary SchoolCroydon	0.89	19	not published
Elmwood Infant SchoolCroydon	0.89	94	0.472 miles 2020
Whitehorse Manor Infant SchoolThornton Heath	0.89	93	not published
Purley Oaks Primary SchoolSouth Croydon	0.88	78	not published
Selsdon Primary and Nursery SchoolSouth Croydon	0.88	26	not published
Harris Primary Academy Haling ParkCroydon	0.88	60	1.458 miles 2025
Beulah Infants' SchoolLondon	0.88	51	0.723 miles 2024
Harris Primary Academy KenleyKenley	0.88	59	1.442 miles 2026
Smitham Primary SchoolCoulsdon	0.87	87	1.407 miles 2026
Orchard Way Primary SchoolCroydon	0.87	23	0.807 miles 2024
Norbury Manor Primary SchoolLondon	0.87	53	not published
Fairchildes Primary SchoolCroydon	0.86	58	2.382 miles 2024
Oasis Academy ByronCoulsdon	0.85	26	0.418 miles 2025
Kensington Avenue Primary SchoolThornton Heath	0.84	31	not published
All Saints CofE Primary SchoolLondon	0.83	18	0.757 miles 2024
Harris Primary Academy Purley WayCroydon	0.83	63	1.623 miles 2024
Howard Primary SchoolCroydon	0.82	34	1.693 miles 2021
Robert Fitzroy AcademyCroydon	0.82	62	0.64 miles 2020
Woodcote Primary SchoolCoulsdon	0.82	110	2.332 miles 2024
Broadmead Primary SchoolCroydon	0.81	43	not published
Ark Oval Primary AcademyCroydon	0.81	88	1.011 miles 2025
The Crescent Primary SchoolCroydon	0.81	31	0.567 miles 2016
Woodside Primary SchoolCroydon	0.80	54	not published
South Norwood PrimaryLondon	0.77	56	1.09 miles 2025
New Valley Primary SchoolCroydon	0.53	17	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

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

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Coombe Wood SchoolSouth Croydon	1.84	174	1.105 miles 2026
Riddlesdown CollegiatePurley	1.61	299	1.334 miles 2026
Oasis Academy CoulsdonCroydon	1.08	163	1.882 miles 2026
Harris Invictus Academy CroydonCroydon	0.96	178	not published
Orchard Park High SchoolCroydon	0.96	145	1.574 miles 2026
Harris City Academy Crystal PalaceLondon	0.84	210	not published
Norbury High School for GirlsThornton Heath	0.79	136	2.353 miles 2021
Coloma Convent Girls' SchoolCroydon	0.78	160	not published
Meridian High SchoolCroydon	0.75	113	not published
Ark Blake AcademyCroydon	0.73	158	1.048 miles 2023
Oasis Academy Shirley ParkCroydon	0.71	100	1.887 miles 2020
The Archbishop Lanfranc AcademyCroydon	0.70	93	not published
Archbishop Tenison's CofE High SchoolCroydon	0.67	138	1.021 miles 2023
Woodcote High SchoolCoulsdon	0.66	230	4.811 miles 2025
Harris Academy Beulah HillLondon	0.65	171	not published
The Quest AcademySouth Croydon	0.63	104	2.143 miles 2022
Harris Academy PurleySouth Croydon	0.61	178	not published
Shirley High School Performing Arts CollegeCroydon	0.59	142	2.034 miles 2018
St Joseph's CollegeLondon	0.58	84	not published
Harris Academy South NorwoodLondon	0.57	138	not published
Oasis Academy ArenaLondon	0.55	22	not published
Thomas More Catholic SchoolPurley	0.47	129	not published
St Mary's Catholic High SchoolCroydon	0.42	108	not published