Schools in Lancaster
Lancaster is Lancashire's county town and a university city, and its 41 schools serve the city itself plus the Morecambe Bay coastline communities of Morecambe, Heysham and the Lune Valley villages. Lancashire County Council coordinates maintained school admissions across the area and publishes catchment maps annually.
Secondary schools in Lancaster include Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (selective), with the eleven-plus test administered by Lancashire each September. Non-selective secondaries - Ripley St Thomas, Central Lancaster High and Morecambe Bay Academy - operate defined catchment areas, with proximity as the main tiebreaker.
Lancaster's university population creates a degree of transience in the primary school estate, so place availability can vary year on year. Families should apply in the autumn before their desired September entry and confirm catchment boundaries directly with Lancashire admissions, as minor updates are published annually.
School demand in Lancaster
Across the 35 schools in Lancaster with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 81%. 5 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.
22 schools in Lancaster have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
7 of the schools in Lancaster are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Lancashire, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
19 of the schools in Lancaster have a current Ofsted rating, of which 15 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Lancaster: 3 oversubscribed (26)
Bowerham Primary & Nursery School
Primary · Community school
Lancaster · LA1 4BS
Lancaster Dallas Road Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Lancaster · LA1 1LD
Lancaster Ryelands Primary School
Primary · Community school
Lancaster · LA1 2RJ
Willow Lane Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Lancaster · LA1 5PR
Moorside Primary School
Primary · Community school
Lancaster · LA1 4HT
Caton Primary School
Primary · Community school
Lancaster · LA2 9NH
Wray with Botton Endowed Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Lancaster · LA2 8QE
Quernmore Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Lancaster · LA2 9EL
Tatham Fells Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Lancaster · LA2 8RA
Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 9PJ
Dolphinholme Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 9AN
Ellel St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 0JS
St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 6QE
Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 8JY
Lancaster Christ Church Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA1 3ES
Scotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary and Nursery School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA1 4SE
Skerton St Luke's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA1 2JH
Cawthorne's Endowed School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 9BQ
Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 6JL
Thurnham Glasson Christ Church, Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 0AR
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA1 4HT
The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA1 3BT
Bentham Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
LANCASTER · LA2 7BP
Austwick Church of England VA Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA2 8BN
Castle View Primary Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Lancaster · LA1 3LE
St Josephs Catholic Primary School, Lancaster
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Lancaster · LA1 2DU
Secondary Schools in Lancaster (5)
Our Lady's Catholic College
Secondary · Voluntary aided school
Lancaster · LA1 2RX
Lancaster Girls' Grammar School
Secondary · Academy converter
Lancaster · LA1 1SF
Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy
Secondary · Academy converter
Lancaster · LA1 4RS
Lancaster Royal Grammar School
Secondary · Academy converter
Lancaster · LA1 3EF
Lancaster High School
Secondary · Academy converter
Lancaster · LA1 3LS
Other Schools in Lancaster (10)
Stepping Stones School
Not applicable · Pupil referral unit
Lancaster · LA1 4HT
The Loyne Specialist School
Not applicable · Community special school
Lancaster · LA1 2QD
Lancaster and Morecambe College
All through · Further education
Lancaster · LA1 2TY
Jamea Al Kauthar
Not applicable · Other independent school
Lancaster · LA1 5AJ
Beaumont College - A Salutem/Ambito College
Not applicable · Special post 16 institution
Lancaster · LA2 6AP
Lancaster Independent School for Alternative Learning (Lisal)
Not applicable · Other independent school
Lancaster · LA1 5QU
University of Lancaster
Not applicable · Higher education institutions
Lancaster · LA1 4YW
Oneschool Global Uk Lancaster Campus
Not applicable · Other independent school
Lancaster · LA2 8LH
Appletree Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
Lancaster · LA1 5QB
Chadwick High School
Not applicable · Academy alternative provision converter
Lancaster · LA1 2AY
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Lancaster are set by Lancashire and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.