Nearly 1,000 children in Bucks have missed out on their first choice of primary school.
A quarter (24.8%) of youngsters failed to get into their first preference, 2% higher than last year.
Bucks County Council had to find places for an extra 316 pupils, taking the total number of applications to 6,160.
A further 616 applicants were offered a place at either their second, third or fourth choice of preferred primary schools.
Of those, 270 children did not receive any of their preferences at all.
For the first time primary school places were all allocated on the same day nationally.
The Department for Education says primary school populations are increasing with an extra 200,000 enrolling in 2013.