Ninety-five per cent of families of primary age children in North Yorkshire have secured their first choice of school.
Of all the families in the county who requested a primary school place for their child from September 2025, 99% received an offer from one of their top three preferences for a school.
The number of children starting primary school in North Yorkshire in September 2025 is 5,161 pupils.
In 2024, 94 per cent of families in the county received an offer from their first choice of primary school and 98 per cent received an offer from one of their top three choices.
Nationally last year 93 per cent of parents and carers in the country received an offer from their first choice of primary school while 99 per cent from one of their top three choices.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said:
I’m delighted to see so many children getting their first choice of primary school.
It is always our intention to support as many parents as possible with their preferences, and yet again this year, the overwhelming majority of North Yorkshire families have been successful in gaining admission to the school of their choice.
We wish all children who start primary school in September all the very best and hope they enjoy a happy and exciting start in their new schools.
Meanwhile, last month (March) a total of 90 per cent of parents and carers in North Yorkshire secured their preferred secondary school for their child, continuing the county’s high level of success in recent years.
Ninety-six per cent of all families in the county who requested a secondary school for September 2025 received an offer from North Yorkshire Council for one of their top three preferences of secondary school.
This year, 6,104 pupils from the county are transferring to secondary school.
Cllr Wilkinson, said:
Moving from primary to secondary school marks a significant milestone in a child’s education. I recognise how stressful this time can be for families and am therefore pleased with the number of young people allocated their first preference secondary school in North Yorkshire.
We continue to work hard to ensure our secondary schools have the capacity to meet the demand for places and we are proud of our education record which strives to give every child the best start in life.
The council’s corporate director for children and young people’s service, Sir Stuart Carlton, said:
I would like to thank our schools for all their support and for working so closely with families to ensure the local authority received as many on-time applications as possible.
I wish all children who are transitioning to secondary school this September every success and happiness.
Last year, a similar number of parents and carers in North Yorkshire gained their first secondary school preference. Meanwhile, nationally 82.9 per cent of applicants received an offer of their first choice school with 94.6 per cent of all families receiving offers from one of their top three choices
Within North Yorkshire, parents of Year 6 children can preference up to five schools on their common application form. This year, the majority of parents made full use of the opportunity to select up to five schools.
For children currently in Year 5 who are due to start secondary school in September 2026, parents and carers will be able to apply from September 12, 2025, and are asked to make use of the opportunity to list five school preferences on the form.
