School offers: How many children were offered a place at their first choice school in 2025 - new data

When it comes to landing your child an offer from your top pick school, not all regions are equal ⚖
  • More than 90% of primary school starters got an offer for their family’s first choice school this year
  • This figures falls to a little over 80% for secondary school starters
  • Overall, the number of new children applying to primary schools is falling
  • Acceptance into first choice schools varies depending on where you live too
  • In one area, 3 out of 10 secondary school-aged children missed out on their top pick

Most families of this year’s new starters across the country successfully scored their child an offer at their first choice of school this year - but where they live may have had an impact on their chances.

There are now just weeks left until the end of the current school year, with classes across the country expected to break for the summer holidays around July 22. After six weeks of sleep-ins and holiday fun, the 2025/26 school year will begin on September 1, which for many children, will mean starting at a brand new school.

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Families of new starters heading off to a state-funded school will have been offered a place some time back. On Thursday (June 12), the Department for Education released brand new data, showing just how many children across England received an offer from their family’s first choice, and how many missed out on any of their back-up options.

But exactly how many children did get into their preferred primary or secondary school right off the bat, and how much does it differ depending on where you live? Here’s what parents need to know:

Nationwide, the lion's share of families were able to land their child an offer at their first choice of schoolplaceholder image
Nationwide, the lion's share of families were able to land their child an offer at their first choice of school | (Image: National World/Adobe Stock)

How many children got into their first choice of primary school?

Starting off strong, 92.6% of children got into their first choice of primary school for the 2025/26 school year. Some 98.6% were offered a place at one of their selected options - meaning just a tiny, 1.4% of applicants weren’t offered a place at any of the schools their families had selected.

Both of these acceptance rates are down a little on last year. But it’s also worth pointing out that the actual amount of children applying to primary schools overall has also fallen. About 550,270 families applied for a place for their child at a state-funded primary for the upcoming school year, compared to more than 555 thousand the year before.

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This means that it has fallen by about 1% since 2024. The number of school places local authorities made available has also fallen, DfE says, by about 1.3%. It follows an ongoing trend, with more than 612 thousand children applying for a place in 2020 - representing a decrease of 10.1% over just five years.

Local authorities do have a legal duty to provide enough school places for applicants, and in general, they are. Across the country, there were more than 683 thousand spots available for the 550 thousand children that applied. The Government says that reasons children might not get into their preferred schools can include school quality, travel patterns, and the demand for school places in their area.

How many children got into their first choice of secondary school?

The secondary school years are particularly important ones, with important qualifications like GCSEs and potentially even A Levels to think about. Both of which can have a big impact on a young person’s life and opportunities after school - which is why attending a school that meets their own unique needs is so important.

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This coming year, 83.5% of children got into their first choice of secondary school. About 96.3% were offered a place at one of their preferred options, both modest increases on last year. This means that just 3.7% missed out on an offer from any of their listed secondary schools.

Overall, about 597,670 families applied for a place for their child at a state secondary school this year, down from more than 609 thousand last year. There were plenty of places available for them however, a total of 651,810 nationwide.

Which regions had the highest rates of families getting their top pick?

Looking at just secondary schools alone, there was substantial variation in the amount of children getting into their family’s first choice of school depending on where in England they lived. In some areas, nearly three in 10 children missed out on their preferred options.

Here are all of England’s regions in order, from those with the most pupils accepted into their number one school, to those with the fewest:

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  • North East: 90.6% offered a place at their first choice (97.5% offered one of their preferred options)
  • South West: 90.2% offered a place at their first choice (97.6% offered one of their preferred options)
  • Yorkshire and The Humber: 88.3% offered a place at their first choice (96.9% offered one of their preferred options)
  • East Midlands: 87.3% offered a place at their first choice (97% offered one of their preferred options)
  • North West: 85% offered a place at their first choice (96.1% offered one of their preferred options)
  • East of England: 84.5% offered a place at their first choice (96.5% offered one of their preferred options)
  • South East: 83.2% offered a place at their first choice (96.3% offered one of their preferred options)
  • West Midlands: 81.2% offered a place at their first choice (96.1% offered one of their preferred options)
  • Outer London: 72.2% offered a place at their first choice (94.9% offered one of their preferred options)
  • Inner London: 70.1% offered a place at their first choice (94.5% offered one of their preferred options)

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