Summary
Before choosing an Australian secondary school, you first need to understand the questions to consider — such as your child’s interests, the school’s educational philosophy, and the specialised programmes it can offer. Next, gather information on Australian secondary schools, then shortlist schools using Australian junior and senior secondary-school rankings. Finally, choose a suitable school based on its admission requirements and tuition fees. In addition, this article introduces websites for finding Australian schools and methods for ranking Australian junior and senior secondary schools.
Australia offers many types of secondary schools for students to choose from. Children can attend state government-funded public schools, faith-based religious schools, private schools focused on developing talent, boarding schools that provide accommodation, single-sex schools, and schools offering special programmes and education (such as music schools and sports schools). So how do you choose the Australian secondary school that best suits your child?
Questions to consider when studying at an Australian secondary school
1. Your child’s interests and needs
① Does the school cater to your child’s interests and all aspects of their development, including social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs?
② How does the school support children’s additional needs?
③ How important is it to you that your child knows other children at the school?
④ Your family circumstances
2. Does your family have a connection to a particular school?
① Do you have an older child who has already attended a particular Australian secondary school?
② If so, would your child benefit from attending the same school as their sibling?
③ How far are you willing for your child to travel each day?
④ Is there a school close to home that suits your child?
⑤ What extracurricular activities does the school offer?
⑥ Does the school offer scholarships? 3. Understand the school’s educational philosophy
If circumstances allow, take your child to visit the school in person — you’ll learn much more:
① Is the school popular with students?
② Does this school teach primary and secondary students on the same campus?
③ How many campuses does this school have?
④ Do students move between campuses?
⑤ Do you agree with the school’s teaching methods?
⑥ Do the school’s homework and discipline policies align with your values and expectations?
⑦ How does the school deal with bullying? 4. Specialised school programmes
Some schools in Australia specialise in particular programmes. Science schools, for example, cater to students focused on science, mathematics and related technologies; arts schools nurture talent in fine arts, dance and music; and sports schools emphasise developing gifted athletes. If your child is gifted in the arts or sport, you will want to choose a school that offers these specialised programmes.
Finding your target Australian schools
Here are four websites for finding schools in Australia:
(1) My School:
This is a website dedicated to information on Australian schools, run by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). It is also recommended on the New South Wales and Victoria state government websites. You can search by public, non-public, primary, secondary and special schools, and by the state the school is in. Results include the school’s teaching-quality index compared with the average for Australian schools, its male and female enrolment numbers, the proportion of local Australian students, the staff-to-student ratio, the school’s official website and more.
(2) For Australian public schools, visit each state government website:
Australia’s public schools are funded by each state government. On the state government websites you can find a list of that state’s public schools, or of all its schools. New South Wales and Victoria account for a higher share of Australia’s top schools.
(3) A website for finding private schools in Australia
Private Schools Guide lets you search all of Australia’s private kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools.
Shortlisting schools by Australian secondary-school rankings
1. Victoria’s Top 20 private senior secondary schools
| Rank | School | Location | % scoring 40+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bialik College | HAWTHORN EAST | 44.2% |
| 2 | Mount Scopus Memorial College | BURWOOD | 35.4% |
| 3 | Shelford Girls’ Grammar | CAULFIELD | 30.7% |
| 4 | Ruyton Girls’ School | KEW | 30.3% |
| 5 | Ballarat Clarendon College | BALLARAT | 30% |
| 6 | Haileybury Girls College | KEYSBOROUGH | 30% |
| 7 | Trinity Grammar School | KEW | 29.8% |
| 8 | Leibler Yavneh College | ELSTERNWICK | 29% |
| 9 | Beth Rivkah Ladies College | ST KILDA EAST | 28.9% |
| 9 | Huntingtower School | MOUNT WAVERLEY | 28.9% |
| 11 | Korowa Anglican Girls’ School | GLEN IRIS | 27.1% |
| 12 | St Kevin’s College | TOORAK | 27.1% |
| 13 | Melbourne Girls Grammar | SOUTH YARRA | 26.4% |
| 14 | Caulfield Grammar School | ST KILDA EAST | 26.3% |
| 15 | Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School | CANTERBURY | 25.8% |
| 16 | Kilvington Grammar School | ORMOND | 25.6% |
| 17 | Penleigh and Essendon Grammar | KEILOR EAST | 25.5% |
| 18 | Mentone Girls’ Grammar School | MENTONE | 24.9% |
| 19 | Fintona Girls School | BALWYN | 24.8% |
| 20 | Camberwell Grammar School | CANTERBURY | 24% |
| 20 | Haileybury College | KEYSBOROUGH | 24% |
2. Victoria’s Top 20 public senior secondary schools
| Rank | School | Location | % scoring 40+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School | MELBOURNE | 36.1% |
| 2 | Melbourne High School | SOUTH YARRA | 31.7% |
| 3 | Murrayville Community College | MURRAYVILLE | 22.9% |
| 4 | Nossal High School | BERWICK | 22.7% |
| 5 | Victorian College of the Arts | SOUTHBANK | 22.7% |
| 6 | Balwyn High School | BALWYN NORTH | 22% |
| 7 | Charlton College | CHARLTON | 21.2% |
| 8 | Box Hill High School | BOX HILL | 19% |
| 9 | Melbourne Girls’ College | RICHMOND | 18.6% |
| 10 | McKinnon Secondary College | MCKINNON | 17% |
| 11 | Canterbury Girls Secondary College | CANTERBURY | 15.8% |
| 12 | John Monash Science School | CLAYTON | 15.6% |
| 13 | Suzanne Cory High School | WERRIBEE | 15.5% |
| 14 | Glen Waverley Secondary College | GLEN WAVERLEY | 15.2% |
| 15 | Mortlake College | MORTLAKE | 14.3% |
| 16 | Birchip P-12 School | BIRCHIP | 13.4% |
| 17 | East Doncaster Secondary College | DONCASTER EAST | 11.6% |
| 18 | Corryong College | CORRYONG | 11% |
| 19 | Kew High School | KEW EAST | 10.9% |
| 20 | Northcote High School | NORTHCOTE | 10.8% |
3. New South Wales senior secondary-school rankings
| Rank | School (address) | Student score | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Ruse Agricultural High School
(Address: Felton Road, Carlingford NSW 2118) |
73.1 % | 165 |
| 2 | Baulkham Hills High School
(Address: 419A Windsor Road, Baulkham Hills NSW 2153) |
62.3 % | 204 |
| 3 | North Sydney Boys High School
(Address: Cnr Falcon and Miller Streets, Crows Nest NSW 2065) |
59.2 % | 160 |
| 4 | North Sydney Girls High School
(Address: Pacific Highway and Cnr David Street, Crows Nest NSW 2065) |
52.4 % | 156 |
| 5 | Hornsby Girls High School
(Address: Edgeworth David Avenue, HORNSBY NSW 2077) |
51.5 % | 122 |
| 6 | Sydney Grammar School
(Address: Alma Street, Paddington NSW 2021) |
50.4 % | 185 |
| 7 | Sydney Boys High School
(Address: Cnr Falcon and Miller Streets, Crows Nest NSW 2065) |
49.8 % | 209 |
| 8 | Reddam House
(Address: 56 Mitchell Street, Bondi NSW 2026) |
49.4 % | 94 |
| 9 | Northern Beaches Secondary College Manly Campus
(Address: 138 Abbott Road, North Curl NSW 2099) |
48.9 % | 140 |
| 10 | Conservatorium High School
(Address: Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000) |
46.5 % | 27 |
| 11 | Normanhurst Boys High School
(Address: Pennant Hills Road, NORMANHURST NSW 2076) |
45.7 % | 121 |
| 12 | SCEGGS Darlinghurst
(Address: 215 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010) |
45.3 % | 106 |
| 13 | Sydney Girls High School
(Address: Pacific Highway and Cnr David Street, Crows Nest NSW 2065) |
43.4 % | 172 |
| 14 | Abbotsleigh
(Address: 22 Woonona Avenue, Wahroonga NSW 2076) |
43.2 % | 152 |
| 15 | Wenona School
(Address: 176 Walker Street, North Sydney NSW 2060) |
43.1 % | 113 |
| 16 | Kambala
(Address: 794 New South Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029) |
43.0 % | 67 |
| 17 | St George Girls High School
(Address: Victoria Street, Kogarah NSW 2217) |
41.6 % | 158 |
| 18 | Ascham School
(Address: 188 New South Head Road, Edgecliff NSW 2027) |
40.1 % | 97 |
| 19 | Queenwood School for Girls
(Address: 47 Mandolong Road, Mosman NSW 2088) |
39.0 % | 85 |
| 20 | Girraween High School
(Address: Gilba Rd, Girraween NSW 2145) |
38.0 % | 140 |
| 21 | Fort Street High School
(Address: Parramatta Road, Petersham NSW 2049) |
37.6 % | 172 |
| 22 | Meriden School
(Address: 10-12 Redmyre Road, Strathfield NSW 2135) |
37.1 % | 110 |
| 23 | St Aloysius’ College
(Address: 47 Upper Pitt Street, MILSONS POINT NSW 2061) |
36.8 % | 158 |
| 24 | Kincoppal – Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart
(Address: New South Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029) |
36.6 % | 85 |
| 25 | Loreto Kirribilli
(Address: 85 Carabella Street, Kirribilli NSW 2061) |
35.7 % | 133 |
| 26 | SHORE – Sydney Church of England Grammar School
(Address: Blue Street, North Sydney NSW 2060) |
35.3 % | 209 |
| 27 | Moriah College
(Address: Queens Park Road, Queens Park NSW 2022) |
34.0 % | 129 |
| 28 | Knox Grammar School
(Address: Pacific Highway, Wahroonga NSW 2076) |
32.7 % | 285 |
| 29 | Caringbah High School
(Address: Willarong Road, Caringbah NSW 2229) |
32.6 % | 154 |
| 30 | The King’s School
(Address: Pennant Hills Rd, North Parramatta NSW 2151) |
32.4 % | 206 |
