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 school allocation they had wished for.
According to Lancashire County Council, 86.1% of children were awarded their first-choice school but that meant 13.9% were left disappointed.
The latest available DfE figures show which Lancashire secondary schools were the hardest to get into in September 2025 so take a look at the 15 toughest schools below...
1. Hardest Lancashire secondary schools
The 15 Lancashire secondary schools that were the hardest to get into this year (2025/26) | Google Maps
2. Lathom High School: A Technology College (15)
186 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 145 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 77.96% | Google Maps
3. Lancaster Royal Grammar School (14)
203 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 158 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 77.83% | Google Maps
4. Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (13)
210 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 162 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 77.14% | Google Maps