Top 8 independent schools in Cairns (2025)
Independent (non-government, non-Catholic-system) schools. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 8 schools shown out of all eligible independent schools in Cairns.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Public Primary Schools
- Public High Schools
- Private Primary Schools
- Private High Schools
- Girls' Schools
- Boys' Schools
- K-12 Schools
- VCE Schools by Median Study Score
- Schools with Top ATAR Students (WA)
- VCE Schools by Study Scores of 40+
- Fastest-Growing Schools
- Schools With the Best Student–Teacher Ratio
- Largest Schools
- 166Trinity Anglican SchoolWhite Rock · Independent CombinedICSEA 1103 · 1,204 students
- 261Cairns Hinterland Steiner SchoolKuranda · Independent CombinedICSEA 1059 · 157 students
- 354Peace Lutheran CollegeKamerunga · Independent CombinedICSEA 1054 · 544 students
- 453Freshwater Christian CollegeBrinsmead · Independent CombinedICSEA 1041 · 562 students
- 549Jubilee Christian CollegeAtherton · Independent CombinedICSEA 1017 · 850 students
- 641The BUSY SchoolCairns · Independent SecondaryICSEA 975 · 1,780 students
- 725Djarragun CollegeGordonvale · Independent CombinedICSEA 683 · 259 students
- 822Radiant Life CollegeEast Innisfail · Independent CombinedICSEA 749 · 137 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trinity Anglican School White Rock · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 66.4 Top 25% | 1103 | 1,204 | 12.9 |
| 2 | Cairns Hinterland Steiner School Kuranda · Combined · Prep-8 | Independent | 61.4 Top 50% | 1059 | 157 | 10.0 |
| 3 | Peace Lutheran College Kamerunga · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.8 Top 50% | 1054 | 544 | 11.6 |
| 4 | Freshwater Christian College Brinsmead · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.0 Top 50% | 1041 | 562 | 12.2 |
| 5 | Jubilee Christian College Atherton · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 48.6 Top 50% | 1017 | 850 | 14.7 |
| 6 | The BUSY School Cairns · Secondary · 11-12 | Independent | 41.2 Lower 50% | 975 | 1,780 | 20.9 |
| 7 | Djarragun College Gordonvale · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 24.8 Lower 50% | 683 | 259 | 8.4 |
| 8 | Radiant Life College East Innisfail · Combined · Prep-10 | Independent | 21.8 Lower 50% | 749 | 137 | 13.7 |
There are 8 independent schools in Cairns eligible for this list; the top 8 are shown. Trinity Anglican School in White Rock is ranked first with a Success Index of 66.4 and an ICSEA of 1103.
The top 8 independent schools in Cairns for 2025 are: 1. Trinity Anglican School (White Rock); 2. Cairns Hinterland Steiner School (Kuranda); 3. Peace Lutheran College (Kamerunga); 4. Freshwater Christian College (Brinsmead); 5. Jubilee Christian College (Atherton); 6. The BUSY School (Cairns); 7. Djarragun College (Gordonvale); 8. Radiant Life College (East Innisfail).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best independent school in Cairns?
Trinity Anglican School in White Rock ranks first among independent schools in Cairns with a Success Index of 66.4 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1103.
How are independent schools in Cairns ranked?
Each school's Success Index combines five factors from ACARA's 2025 school profile data: ICSEA (50%), share of students in the top socio-educational quarter (15%), students per teacher (15%), five-year enrolment growth (10%) and five-year ICSEA trend (10%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type nationally. Schools with fewer than 80 students are excluded.
How many public schools are in the top 100 independent schools in Cairns?
0 of the top 8 independent schools in Cairns are government schools; 8 are Catholic or independent.
Do these rankings include NAPLAN or ATAR results?
Not yet. ACARA does not publish school-level NAPLAN results in bulk, and ATAR results are released by state authorities in different formats. The Success Index uses the measures ACARA publishes for every school so that all schools are compared on identical data. Where a school publishes its own results we link to its website.