Schools in Darlington

35 schools with published admissions figures

The newest figures for each school. "1st prefs per place" is how many families put the school first, for each place it gave out. It measures demand, not whether a child would get a place. A dash means the figure is not available.

How the 2026 round went in Darlington

Primary

Offered their first choice 92.7%
Of families applying for a primary place for September 2026. Against 91.2% in 2016.
Offered one of their three 98.6%
Families offered any of the schools they named.
Families who applied 1,075
Applications received for a primary place. A family naming three schools counts once.

For September 2026, 92.7% of families applying for a primary place here were offered their first choice, and 98.6% were offered one of the three schools they named.

That is 1.4 points higher than in 2016, when it was 91.2%.

The council's primary schools between them had 1,260 places for 1,075 applications. That is a total for the whole council and says nothing about any one school in it.

Secondary

Offered their first choice 91.5%
Of families applying for a secondary place for September 2026. Against 85.8% in 2016.
Offered one of their three 98.7%
Families offered any of the schools they named.
Families who applied 1,134
Applications received for a secondary place. A family naming three schools counts once.

For September 2026, 91.5% of families applying for a secondary place here were offered their first choice, and 98.7% were offered one of the three schools they named.

That is 5.7 points higher than in 2016, when it was 85.8%.

The council's secondary schools between them had 1,370 places for 1,134 applications. That is a total for the whole council and says nothing about any one school in it.

Source: Department for Education, applications and offers. The same round across England.

If a family is refused a place

In 2026, families in Darlington lodged 40 appeals about a school place.

30 of them were heard by a panel and 5 succeeded, which is about 17 in every 100 heard.

The other 10 did not reach a panel. Most appeals that do not are withdrawn because a place comes up first.

This is a record of decisions already made. A panel hears one case at a time and decides it on what that family sets out, so these figures do not indicate what would happen in any particular appeal.

Source: Department for Education, admission appeals in England, reporting year 2026. Counts every school in this council area. The share that succeeded is taken over appeals heard by a panel, not over appeals lodged.

Secondary

School	1st prefs per place	Demand since	Latest Ofsted
Carmel College Darlington	1.41	-	Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)
Haughton Academy Darlington	0.97	-	Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework)
Hummersknott Academy Darlington	0.83	-	Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework)
Hurworth School Darlington	0.93	-	Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)
Longfield Academy Darlington	0.94	-	Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)
St Aidan's Church of England Academy Darlington	0.92	-	Some aspects not as strong Ofsted ungraded inspection
Wyvern Academy Darlington	0.85	-	Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)

Elsewhere

Most sought-after schools in Darlington by first preferences per place
Schools in DL1 (15)
Schools in DL2 (10)
Schools in DL3 (13)
Schools in DL5 (11)
Schools in TS21 (7)
What data we hold