Most sought-after schools in St. Helens

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	Grange Valley Primary School St Helens, primary	1.62	2026	School remains Outstanding (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
2	Rivington Primary School St Helens, primary	1.55	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
3	Eccleston Lane Ends Primary School Prescot, primary	1.50	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
4	St Peter's CofE Primary School Newton-le-Willows, primary	1.50	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
5	Eaves Primary School St Helens, primary	1.47	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
6	Robins Lane Community Primary School St Helens, primary	1.36	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
7	Rainford CofE Primary School St Helens, primary	1.33	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
8	St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School St Helens, primary	1.31	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
9	Garswood Primary and Nursery School Wigan, primary	1.26	2026	School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
10	Allanson Street Primary School Merseyside, primary	1.22	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
11	Rainford High School St Helens, secondary	1.21	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
12	Parish Church of England Primary School, St Helens St Helens, primary	1.17	2026	Strong standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
13	The Sutton Academy St Helens, secondary	1.17	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
14	Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	1.07	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
15	St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	1.07	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
16	The District CofE Primary School Newton-le-Willows, primary	1.05	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
17	De La Salle School St. Helens, secondary	1.03	2026	Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
18	Bleak Hill Primary School St Helens, primary	1.02	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
19	Carr Mill Primary School St Helens, primary	1.02	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
20	Longton Lane Community Primary School St Helens, primary	1.00	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
21	Lyme Community Primary School Newton-le-Willows, primary	1.00	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
22	St Aidan's CofE Primary School Billinge Wigan, primary	1.00	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
23	St Austin's Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
24	St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School Prescot, primary	1.00	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
25	St Julie's Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	1.00	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
26	St Theresa's Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	1.00	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
27	St John Vianney Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	0.97	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))
28	Billinge Chapel End Primary School Wigan, primary	0.96	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
29	St Ann's Church of England Primary School Prescot, primary	0.96	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
30	St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy St Helens, primary	0.96	2026	Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
31	St. Mary's Blackbrook Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	0.95	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
32	Haydock English Martyrs' Primary School St. Helens, primary	0.93	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
33	Nutgrove Methodist Primary School St Helens, primary	0.93	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
34	Oakdene Primary Academy Prescot, primary	0.93	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
35	Sherdley Primary School St Helens, primary	0.93	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
36	St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	0.93	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
37	Wargrave CofE Primary School Newton-le-Willows, primary	0.93	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
38	Rainhill High School Prescot, secondary	0.92	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
39	Sutton Manor Community Primary School St Helens, primary	0.92	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
40	Hope Academy Newton-le-Willows, secondary	0.91	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
41	Outwood Academy Haydock St. Helens, secondary	0.91	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
42	St Anne's Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	0.91	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
43	Thatto Heath Community Primary School St Helens, primary	0.91	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
44	Willow Tree Primary School St Helens, primary	0.91	2026	Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
45	Cowley International College St Helens, secondary	0.88	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
46	St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy St. Helens, secondary	0.88	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
47	St Mary's Catholic Primary School Nr Wigan, primary	0.88	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
48	Broad Oak Community Primary School St Helens, primary	0.87	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
49	Newton-le-Willows Primary School Newton-le-Willows, primary	0.84	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))
50	Holy Cross Catholic Primary School St Helens, primary	0.83	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))
51	Rainford Brook Lodge Community Primary School St Helens, primary	0.83	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
52	St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Devon Street St Helens, primary	0.83	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))
53	Eccleston Mere Primary School St Helens, primary	0.82	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
54	Queen's Park CofE/Urc Primary School St Helens, primary	0.79	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
55	Ashurst Primary School St Helens, primary	0.76	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
56	Legh Vale Primary School St Helens, primary	0.76	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
57	Sutton Oak CofE Primary School St Helens, primary	0.73	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
58	Merton Bank Primary School St Helens, primary	0.67	2026	Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
59	St James' Church of England Primary School St Helens, primary	0.65	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)

Figures from the Department for Education, applications and offers. 59 schools in St. Helens have a published per-place figure. Schools with too few places for the figure to mean anything are left off. All schools in St. Helens · How we compare schools.