Most sought-after schools in Portsmouth
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 |
St Edmund's Catholic School Portsmouth, secondary |
1.84 | 2025 | School remains Outstanding (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 2 |
St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.60 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 3 |
Medina Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.50 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 4 |
Admiral Lord Nelson School Portsmouth, secondary |
1.37 | 2025 | Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 5 |
Trafalgar School Portsmouth, secondary |
1.35 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 6 |
Westover Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.33 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 7 |
Priory School Southsea, secondary |
1.24 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 8 |
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School Southsea, primary |
1.22 | 2025 | Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 9 |
Gatcombe Park Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.20 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 10 |
Wimborne Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.19 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 11 |
St Jude's CofE Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.17 | 2025 | School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 12 |
Stamshaw Infant Academy Portsmouth, primary |
1.12 | 2025 | School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 13 |
Solent Infant School Portsmouth, primary |
1.10 | 2025 | Improved significantly (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 14 |
Bramble Infant School and Nursery Southsea, primary |
1.03 | 2025 | Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 15 |
Beacon View Primary Academy Portsmouth, primary |
1.00 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 16 |
St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.00 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 17 |
St Paul's Catholic Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
1.00 | 2025 | School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 18 |
King's Academy College Park (Infant) Portsmouth, primary |
0.99 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 19 |
Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery Portsmouth, primary |
0.96 | 2025 | Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 20 |
Highbury Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.96 | 2025 | Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 21 |
Portsdown Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.95 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 22 |
The Flying Bull Academy Portsmouth, primary |
0.95 | 2025 | Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 23 |
Ark Ayrton Primary Academy Portsmouth, primary |
0.93 | 2025 | School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 24 |
Cumberland Infant School Southsea, primary |
0.93 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 25 |
Devonshire Infant School Southsea, primary |
0.92 | 2025 | Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 26 |
Manor Infant and Nursery School Portsmouth, primary |
0.92 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 27 |
Meon Infant School Southsea, primary |
0.92 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 28 |
Ark Dickens Primary Academy Portsmouth, primary |
0.91 | 2025 | Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 29 |
King's Academy Northern Parade (Infant) Portsmouth, primary |
0.91 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 30 |
Copnor Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.90 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 31 |
The Victory Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.90 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 32 |
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery Southsea, primary |
0.89 | 2025 | Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 33 |
Court Lane Infant Academy Portsmouth, primary |
0.89 | 2025 | School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 34 |
New Horizons Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.89 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 35 |
Milton Park Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.88 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 36 |
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Portsmouth, primary |
0.87 | 2025 | Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 37 |
Penbridge Infant School & Nursery Portsmouth, primary |
0.87 | 2025 | School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
| 38 |
Springfield School Portsmouth, secondary |
0.79 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 39 |
Moorings Way Infant School Southsea, primary |
0.75 | 2025 | Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 40 |
Castle View Academy Portsmouth, secondary |
0.72 | 2025 | Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 41 |
Southsea Infant School Southsea, primary |
0.71 | 2025 | Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework)) |
| 42 |
Ark Charter Academy Southsea, secondary |
0.58 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 43 |
Miltoncross Academy Portsmouth, secondary |
0.49 | 2025 | Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework)) |
| 44 |
The Portsmouth Academy Portsmouth, secondary |
0.49 | 2025 | School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection) |
Figures from the Department for Education, applications and offers. 44 schools in Portsmouth have a published per-place figure. Schools with too few places for the figure to mean anything are left off. All schools in Portsmouth · How we compare schools.