Most sought-after schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Ordered by how many families put the school first, for each place it gave out.

This list is sorted by one number: first preferences per place. For each school it is the number of families who named it first, divided by the number of offers it made, in the newest year we hold. A higher number means more families wanted a place than there were places.

This is not a list of the best schools. It does not measure how good a school is, how happy the children are, or how well they do. It also does not tell you whether a child would get a place: that depends on where you live, the year, and the council's rules. It only shows how many people applied.

#	School	First preferences per place	Newest intake	Latest Ofsted
1	Avonwood Primary School Bournemouth, primary	1.92	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
2	Springdale First School Broadstone, primary	1.48	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
3	Twynham Primary School Christchurch, primary	1.39	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
4	Poole Grammar School Poole, secondary	1.37	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
5	Bournemouth School Bournemouth, secondary	1.33	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
6	Bournemouth School for Girls Bournemouth, secondary	1.33	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
7	St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School Bournemouth, primary	1.31	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
8	Glenmoor Academy Bournemouth, secondary	1.22	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
9	Livingstone Academy Bournemouth Bournemouth, all through	1.21	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
10	Bearwood Primary and Nursery School Bournemouth, primary	1.20	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
11	Winton Academy Bournemouth, secondary	1.18	2026	School remains Outstanding (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
12	Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Christchurch, primary	1.17	2026	Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
13	The Epiphany School Bournemouth, primary	1.17	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
14	St Katharine's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth, primary	1.15	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
15	Merley First School Wimborne, primary	1.13	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
16	Canford Heath Infant School Poole, primary	1.12	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
17	St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole Poole, secondary	1.12	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
18	Lilliput Church of England Infant School Poole, primary	1.11	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
19	Parkstone Grammar School Poole, secondary	1.11	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
20	Pokesdown Community Primary School Bournemouth, primary	1.10	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
21	The Bourne Academy Bournemouth, secondary	1.06	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
22	Heatherlands Primary School Poole, primary	1.03	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
23	St Luke's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth, primary	1.03	2026	Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
24	Magna Academy Poole, secondary	1.02	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
25	Bayside Academy POOLE, primary	1.00	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
26	Burton Church of England Primary School Christchurch, primary	1.00	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
27	Christ The King Catholic Primary School Bournemouth, primary	1.00	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
28	Highcliffe School Christchurch, secondary	1.00	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
29	Jewell Academy Bournemouth Bournemouth, primary	1.00	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
30	Kinson Academy Bournemouth, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
31	Somerford Primary School Christchurch, primary	1.00	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))
32	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Poole Poole, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
33	The Grange School Christchurch, secondary	0.99	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
34	Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School Poole, primary	0.98	2026	Strong standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
35	Longfleet Church of England Primary School Poole, primary	0.98	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
36	Poole High School Poole, secondary	0.98	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
37	St Mark's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.98	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
38	St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School Bournemouth, all through	0.98	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
39	Kingsleigh Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.97	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
40	Mudeford Community Infants' School Christchurch, primary	0.97	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
41	Livingstone Road Infant School Poole, primary	0.96	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
42	Malmesbury Park Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.95	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
43	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch Christchurch, primary	0.95	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
44	Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School Poole, primary	0.95	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
45	Hill View Primary Academy Bournemouth, primary	0.94	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
46	Old Town Infant School and Nursery Poole, primary	0.94	2026	Improved significantly (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
47	St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole Poole, primary	0.94	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
48	Talbot Primary School Poole, primary	0.94	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
49	St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant School Bournemouth, primary	0.93	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
50	Twynham School Christchurch, secondary	0.93	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
51	Courthill Infant School Poole, primary	0.92	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
52	Heathlands Primary Academy Bournemouth, primary	0.92	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
53	Moordown St John's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.92	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
54	Muscliff Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.92	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
55	Winton Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.92	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
56	St Michael's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.90	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
57	Ad Astra Infant School Poole, primary	0.89	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
58	Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Bournemouth, primary	0.88	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
59	Elm Academy Bournemouth, primary	0.88	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
60	Avonbourne Boys' Academy Bournemouth, secondary	0.86	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
61	Christchurch Infant School Christchurch, primary	0.86	2026	none held
62	Manorside Academy Poole, primary	0.86	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
63	Queen's Park Infant Academy Bournemouth, primary	0.86	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
64	Avonbourne Girls Academy Bournemouth, secondary	0.84	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
65	Stourfield Infant School Bournemouth, primary	0.84	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
66	The Cornerstone Academy Poole, secondary	0.84	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
67	Broadstone First School Broadstone, primary	0.83	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
68	King's Park Academy Bournemouth, primary	0.80	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
69	Stanley Green Infant Academy Poole, primary	0.78	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
70	Hillbourne Primary School Poole, primary	0.77	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
71	St James' Church of England Primary Academy Bournemouth, primary	0.70	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
72	Oak Academy Bournemouth, secondary	0.67	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
73	The Priory Church of England Primary School Christchurch, primary	0.67	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
74	The Bishop of Winchester Academy Bournemouth, secondary	0.55	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
75	St Aldhelm's Academy Poole, secondary	0.46	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))

Figures from the Department for Education, applications and offers. 75 schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have a published per-place figure. Schools with too few places for the figure to mean anything are left off. All schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · How we compare schools.