A new school year has officially begun and whilst National Offer Day may feel like a lifetime away, it was a tense time for many families and unfortunately not all children received the secondary school allocation they had wished for.
According to Lancashire County Council, 86.9 per cent of children were awarded their first-choice secondary school for the 2026/2027 academic year but that meant 13.1 per cent were left disappointed.
The latest available DfE figures show which Lancashire secondary schools were the hardest to get into in September 2026 so take a look at the 21 toughest schools below...
We have ordered these schools in ascending order so that the hardest secondary schools feature last.
1. Balshaw's Church of England High School (19)
201 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 162 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 80.60%
2. Saint Aidan's Church of England High School (18)
195 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 157 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 80.51% | Google Maps
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3. Parklands High School (17)
239 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 191 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 79.92% | Google Maps
4. Moor Park High School and Sixth Form (16)
141 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 112 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 79.43%