Hertfordshire local authority: school places and applications
77% of families in Hertfordshire local authority were offered their first-choice secondary school for September 2026, against 84% across England. 89% got their first-choice primary (England: 92%). Hertfordshire local authority is responsible for 578 schools in East of England.
Reception applications and offers in Hertfordshire local authority
Families applying through Hertfordshire local authority for a primary school place, by the September the children start. The council tells the DfE how many families were offered their first choice, one of their top three, or no school at all.
| Starting | Applications | First choice | England | One of top three | No offer | Offered a school in another council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 12,543 | 89.1% | 92.4% | 97.8% | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| September 2025 | 12,834 | 88.0% | 92.6% | 97.6% | 0.0% | 2.1% |
| September 2024 | 12,800 | 89.5% | 93.2% | 97.9% | 0.0% | 2.0% |
| September 2023 | 13,005 | 89.7% | 92.5% | 97.8% | 0.0% | 2.0% |
| September 2022 | 13,439 | 88.2% | 92.2% | 97.3% | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| September 2021 | 13,503 | 88.1% | 91.8% | 97.1% | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| September 2020 | 14,170 | 87.4% | 90.2% | 97.0% | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| September 2019 | 14,171 | 86.6% | 90.6% | 96.7% | 0.0% | 1.8% |
Year 7 applications and offers in Hertfordshire local authority
Families applying through Hertfordshire local authority for a secondary school place, by the September the children start. The council tells the DfE how many families were offered their first choice, one of their top three, or no school at all.
| Starting | Applications | First choice | England | One of top three | No offer | Offered a school in another council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 13,456 | 77.5% | 83.6% | 92.4% | 0.1% | 3.4% |
| September 2025 | 13,699 | 75.8% | 83.5% | 92.2% | 0.0% | 3.4% |
| September 2024 | 13,826 | 76.9% | 82.9% | 92.0% | 0.0% | 3.4% |
| September 2023 | 14,049 | 77.5% | 82.6% | 92.3% | 0.0% | 3.3% |
| September 2022 | 14,192 | 78.6% | 83.3% | 92.8% | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| September 2021 | 14,066 | 77.7% | 81.1% | 92.7% | 0.0% | 3.3% |
| September 2020 | 13,833 | 78.6% | 82.2% | 93.4% | 0.0% | 3.4% |
| September 2019 | 14,250 | 74.6% | 80.9% | 90.1% | 1.3% | 3.2% |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers. These are council-wide figures; how hard an individual school is to get into is on each school's page.
Primary schools in Hertfordshire local authority compared with England
| Hertfordshire | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded primary schools | 394 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 80% | 80% |
| Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard (%), average school (2025) | 63.8 | 63.2 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 5.1% | 5.2% |
Secondary schools in Hertfordshire local authority compared with England
| Hertfordshire | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded secondary schools | 79 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 84% | 72% |
| Attainment 8, average school (2026) | 50.7 | 47.3 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 8.1% | 8.6% |
Averages are across schools, not pupils, so every school counts equally. Ofsted shares use each school's latest published grade.
Expected primary pupil numbers in Hertfordshire local authority
Hertfordshire local authority expects primary numbers to fall by 6.0% between 2024/25 and 2029/30.
| School year | Primary pupils | Reception pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 97,141 | 13,084 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 96,340 | 13,076 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 95,506 | 13,098 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 93,953 | 12,444 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 92,697 | 12,577 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 91,356 | 12,483 |
Expected secondary pupil numbers in Hertfordshire local authority
Hertfordshire local authority expects secondary numbers to fall by 1.3% between 2024/25 and 2031/32.
| School year | Secondary pupils | Year 7 pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 93,604 | 15,046 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 93,953 | 15,029 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 94,156 | 15,106 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 94,394 | 15,185 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 94,227 | 15,007 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 93,891 | 15,023 |
| 2030/31 (forecast) | 93,225 | 14,565 |
| 2031/32 (forecast) | 92,377 | 14,260 |
Source: council forecasts submitted to the DfE school capacity survey (SCAP). Forecasts are estimates and are revised each year.
Schools by town in Hertfordshire local authority
Ranked schools, with Ofsted ratings and results, for each town in Hertfordshire local authority:
- East Hertfordshire 88 schools
- Dacorum 78 schools
- North Hertfordshire 68 schools
- St Albans 59 schools
- Hertsmere 58 schools
- Welwyn Hatfield 52 schools
- Watford 51 schools
- Hemel Hempstead 49 schools
- Three Rivers 43 schools
- Broxbourne 41 schools
- Stevenage 41 schools
- Hitchin 33 schools
- Bishop'S Stortford 30 schools
- Rickmansworth 25 schools
- Waltham Cross 24 schools
- Ware 23 schools
- Welwyn Garden City 23 schools
- Hertford 22 schools
- Harpenden 21 schools
- Bushey 19 schools
- Hatfield 18 schools
- Potters Bar 16 schools
- Berkhamsted 14 schools
- Borehamwood 14 schools
- Letchworth Garden City 13 schools
- Hoddesdon 10 schools
- Tring 9 schools
- Baldock 8 schools
- Buntingford 7 schools
- Radlett 6 schools
- Welwyn 6 schools