Kent local authority: school places and applications
79% of families in Kent local authority were offered their first-choice secondary school for September 2026, against 84% across England. 90% got their first-choice primary (England: 92%). Kent local authority is responsible for 690 schools in South East.
Reception applications and offers in Kent local authority
Families applying through Kent 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 | 16,593 | 89.7% | 92.4% | 98.2% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| September 2025 | 16,524 | 90.6% | 92.6% | 98.5% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| September 2024 | 16,654 | 91.3% | 93.2% | 98.7% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| September 2023 | 16,969 | 90.1% | 92.5% | 98.4% | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| September 2022 | 17,151 | 90.2% | 92.2% | 97.8% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| September 2021 | 17,095 | 89.2% | 91.8% | 97.7% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| September 2020 | 17,494 | 87.9% | 90.2% | 96.9% | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| September 2019 | 17,284 | 89.4% | 90.6% | 97.4% | 0.0% | 0.8% |
Year 7 applications and offers in Kent local authority
Families applying through Kent 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 | 18,644 | 78.9% | 83.6% | 94.8% | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| September 2025 | 18,281 | 80.6% | 83.5% | 95.1% | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| September 2024 | 18,533 | 78.6% | 82.9% | 94.5% | 0.0% | 2.4% |
| September 2023 | 19,006 | 78.2% | 82.6% | 94.0% | 0.0% | 2.4% |
| September 2022 | 18,311 | 79.6% | 83.3% | 94.3% | 0.0% | 2.4% |
| September 2021 | 18,274 | 69.7% | 81.1% | 90.6% | 0.0% | 2.3% |
| September 2020 | 18,007 | 77.7% | 82.2% | 93.3% | 0.0% | 2.3% |
| September 2019 | 17,962 | 79.1% | 80.9% | 94.1% | 0.0% | 2.3% |
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 Kent local authority compared with England
| Kent | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded primary schools | 459 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 84% | 80% |
| Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard (%), average school (2025) | 63.6 | 63.2 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 5.6% | 5.2% |
Secondary schools in Kent local authority compared with England
| Kent | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded secondary schools | 100 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 73% | 72% |
| Attainment 8, average school (2026) | 48.8 | 47.3 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 8.2% | 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 Kent local authority
Kent local authority expects primary numbers to fall by 1.9% between 2024/25 and 2029/30.
| School year | Primary pupils | Reception pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 127,184 | 16,965 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 127,360 | 16,908 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 127,657 | 17,154 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 126,786 | 16,463 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 125,657 | 16,364 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 124,785 | 16,814 |
Expected secondary pupil numbers in Kent local authority
Kent local authority expects secondary numbers to rise by 5.7% between 2024/25 and 2031/32.
| School year | Secondary pupils | Year 7 pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 113,995 | 19,054 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 115,943 | 19,058 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 117,260 | 19,357 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 118,580 | 19,954 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 119,317 | 19,969 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 120,392 | 20,123 |
| 2030/31 (forecast) | 120,564 | 19,593 |
| 2031/32 (forecast) | 120,521 | 19,244 |
Source: council forecasts submitted to the DfE school capacity survey (SCAP). Forecasts are estimates and are revised each year.
Schools by town in Kent local authority
Ranked schools, with Ofsted ratings and results, for each town in Kent local authority:
- Maidstone 73 schools
- Swale 69 schools
- Tonbridge And Malling 64 schools
- Ashford 56 schools
- Thanet 55 schools
- Canterbury 53 schools
- Folkestone And Hythe 46 schools
- Sevenoaks 43 schools
- Gravesham 42 schools
- Dartford 41 schools
- Gravesend 40 schools
- Sittingbourne 37 schools
- Tunbridge Wells 37 schools
- Dover 33 schools
- Tonbridge 33 schools
- Folkestone 27 schools
- Ramsgate 20 schools
- Broadstairs 15 schools
- Deal 15 schools
- Sheerness 15 schools
- Cranbrook 14 schools
- Faversham 14 schools
- Margate 13 schools
- West Malling 11 schools
- Whitstable 10 schools
- Aylesford 9 schools
- Longfield 9 schools
- Herne Bay 8 schools
- Swanley 8 schools
- Hythe 7 schools
- Sandwich 7 schools
- Edenbridge 6 schools
- Tenterden 6 schools