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.
13. Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn (7)
209 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 151 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 72.25% | Google Maps
14. St Michael's Church of England High School (6)
311 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 217 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 69.77%
15. Lathom High School: A Technology College (5)
228 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 157 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 68.86% | Google Maps
16. Broughton High School (4)
234 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 159 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 67.95% | Google