Schools in Folkestone
Folkestone's 29 schools are administered by Kent County Council, with 19 primaries and 4 secondaries in a Shepway coastal town that sits above the Channel Tunnel rail link and has undergone significant regeneration since the 2000s. Kent operates a selective grammar system for secondary education, meaning that the county's grammar schools draw high-attaining Year 6 applicants through the Kent Test, and non-grammar secondary schools - including Folkestone Academy and Pent Valley Technology College - serve the majority of the town's secondary-age cohort.
Primary catchment dynamics in Folkestone are influenced by the town's mix of Victorian terracing, newer harbour quarter development and rural fringe villages such as Hawkinge, Cheriton and Capel-le-Ferne. Sandgate and Capel primaries are popular with families in the coastal villages, and Kent's annual offer statistics show that distance tie-breakers for oversubscribed primaries can be as low as 0.6 kilometres in the town centre cluster. Families should factor in the Kent Test timeline for any secondary school planning, as registration typically opens in May of Year 5.
School demand in Folkestone
Across the 26 schools in Folkestone with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 91%. 6 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.
8 schools in Folkestone have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
13 of the schools in Folkestone are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Kent, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
12 of the schools in Folkestone have a current Ofsted rating, of which 12 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Folkestone: 3 oversubscribed (19)
Hawkinge Primary School
Primary · Foundation school
Folkestone · CT18 7BN
Cheriton Primary School
Primary · Foundation school
Folkestone · CT20 3EP
Sandgate Primary School
Primary · Community school
Folkestone · CT20 3QU
Capel-le-Ferne Primary School
Primary · Community school
Folkestone · CT18 7HB
Folkestone, St Martin's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Folkestone · CT20 3JJ
Folkestone, St Peter's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Folkestone · CT19 6AL
Lyminge Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Folkestone · CT18 8JA
Harcourt Primary School
Primary · Foundation school
Folkestone · CT19 4NE
Castle Hill Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Folkestone · CT19 6HG
Christ Church Cep Academy, Folkestone
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT20 1DJ
Folkestone St. Mary's Church of England Primary Academy
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT19 6QH
St Eanswythe's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT20 1SE
Martello Primary
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Folkestone · CT19 6DT
Stella Maris Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT19 5BY
Morehall Primary School and Nursery
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Folkestone · CT19 4PN
All Soul's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT19 4LG
Folkestone Primary
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Folkestone · CT19 5FP
Mundella Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT19 5QX
The Churchill School
Primary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT18 7RH
Secondary Schools in Folkestone (4)
The Folkestone School for Girls
Secondary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT20 3RB
The Harvey Grammar School
Secondary · Academy converter
Folkestone · CT19 5JY
Folkestone Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Folkestone · CT19 5FP
Turner Free School
Secondary · Free schools
Folkestone · CT19 4PB
Other Schools in Folkestone (6)
The Beacon Folkestone
Not applicable · Foundation special school
Folkestone · CT19 5DN
School of English Studies
Not applicable · Miscellaneous
Folkestone · CT20 2PY
Birchwood
Not applicable · Pupil referral unit
Folkestone · CT19 4FP
Compass Community School Coastal Park
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Folkestone · CT19 5AX
Earlscliffe (Sussex Summer Schools Ltd)
Not applicable · Other independent school
Folkestone · CT20 2NB
Folkestone Beacon Plus
Not applicable · Special post 16 institution
Folkestone · CT20 1AU
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Folkestone are set by Kent and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.