Find the best primary schools in New Forest. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
New Forest has 54 primary schools, all in Hampshire council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 54, 20 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any New Forest primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School - the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools | Roman Catholic | 5.0 / 5 |
| Calmore Infant School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Lymington Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Manor Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| St Luke's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Hazel Wood Infant School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| St Michael and All Angels CofE Infant School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
There are 54 primary schools in New Forest.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in New Forest, that council is Hampshire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 54 primary schools in New Forest, 20 have a religious character: 19 Church of England and 1 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School - the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools (5.0), Calmore Infant School (4.8), Lymington Church of England Infant School (4.8), Manor Church of England Infant School (4.8) and St Luke's Church of England Primary School (4.8). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 54 schools here, 52 have enough published data for a rating.
| Wildground Infant School |
| Mixed |
| 4.6 / 5 |
| Ashley Infant School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Eling Infant School and Nursery | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Poulner Infant School and Nursery | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Lydlynch Infant School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Breamore Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Fawley Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Fordingbridge Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Marchwood Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School & Pre-School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Lymington Junior School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| New Milton Infant School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Foxhills Infant School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Ringwood Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Tiptoe Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Marchwood Junior School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Wildground Junior School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Cadland Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Oakfield Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hale Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| New Milton Junior School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Copythorne CofE Infant School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Fordingbridge Junior School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Abbotswood Junior School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Beaulieu Village Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Ringwood Junior School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Hythe Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Burley Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Milford-on-Sea Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Hyde Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Blackfield Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Pennington Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| Poulner Junior School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Foxhills Junior School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Orchard Junior School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Bartley Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Waterside Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Bransgore Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Ashley Junior School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Calmore Junior School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Sopley Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| William Gilpin Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.6 / 5 |
| Netley Marsh Church of England Infant School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Orchard Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.