Top 18 K-12 schools in Cairns (2025)
Combined schools offering both primary and secondary years, so a child can stay from Foundation to Year 12. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 18 schools shown out of all eligible K-12 schools in Cairns.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Independent Schools
- Public Primary Schools
- Public High Schools
- Private Primary Schools
- Private High Schools
- Girls' Schools
- Boys' 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
- 355Cairns School of Distance EducationManunda · Government CombinedICSEA 1024 · 3,692 students
- 454Peace Lutheran CollegeKamerunga · Independent CombinedICSEA 1054 · 544 students
- 553Freshwater Christian CollegeBrinsmead · Independent CombinedICSEA 1041 · 562 students
- 651St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch ValleyRedlynch · Catholic CombinedICSEA 1067 · 1,373 students
- 749Jubilee Christian CollegeAtherton · Independent CombinedICSEA 1017 · 850 students
- 841MacKillop Catholic College, Mount PeterMount Peter · Catholic CombinedICSEA 987 · 1,119 students
- 940Redlynch State CollegeRedlynch · Government CombinedICSEA 1007 · 1,834 students
- 1034Herberton State SchoolMoomin · Government CombinedICSEA 930 · 154 students
- 1130Babinda State SchoolBabinda · Government CombinedICSEA 931 · 280 students
- 1230Ravenshoe State SchoolRavenshoe · Government CombinedICSEA 848 · 351 students
- 1328Innisfail State CollegeInnisfail Estate · Government CombinedICSEA 889 · 951 students
- 1425Djarragun CollegeGordonvale · Independent CombinedICSEA 683 · 259 students
- 1525Bentley Park CollegeBentley Park · Government CombinedICSEA 869 · 1,771 students
- 1624Kuranda District State CollegeKuranda · Government CombinedICSEA 862 · 285 students
- 1724Yarrabah State SchoolYarrabah · Government CombinedICSEA 688 · 405 students
- 1822Radiant 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 | Cairns School of Distance Education Manunda · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 54.5 Top 50% | 1024 | 3,692 | 10.6 |
| 4 | Peace Lutheran College Kamerunga · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.8 Top 50% | 1054 | 544 | 11.6 |
| 5 | Freshwater Christian College Brinsmead · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.0 Top 50% | 1041 | 562 | 12.2 |
| 6 | St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch Valley Redlynch · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 50.7 Top 50% | 1067 | 1,373 | 13.6 |
| 7 | Jubilee Christian College Atherton · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 48.6 Top 50% | 1017 | 850 | 14.7 |
| 8 | MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter Mount Peter · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 41.4 Lower 50% | 987 | 1,119 | 12.9 |
| 9 | Redlynch State College Redlynch · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 40.1 Lower 50% | 1007 | 1,834 | 13.5 |
| 10 | Herberton State School Moomin · Combined · Prep-10 | Government | 33.9 Lower 50% | 930 | 154 | 9.7 |
| 11 | Babinda State School Babinda · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 30.4 Lower 50% | 931 | 280 | 11.7 |
| 12 | Ravenshoe State School Ravenshoe · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 30.1 Lower 50% | 848 | 351 | 9.9 |
| 13 | Innisfail State College Innisfail Estate · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 27.9 Lower 50% | 889 | 951 | 10.6 |
| 14 | Djarragun College Gordonvale · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 24.8 Lower 50% | 683 | 259 | 8.4 |
| 15 | Bentley Park College Bentley Park · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 24.6 Lower 50% | 869 | 1,771 | 13.1 |
| 16 | Kuranda District State College Kuranda · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 23.6 Lower 50% | 862 | 285 | 10.4 |
| 17 | Yarrabah State School Yarrabah · Combined · Prep-10 | Government | 23.5 Lower 50% | 688 | 405 | 9.2 |
| 18 | Radiant Life College East Innisfail · Combined · Prep-10 | Independent | 21.8 Lower 50% | 749 | 137 | 13.7 |
There are 18 K-12 schools in Cairns eligible for this list; the top 18 are shown. Trinity Anglican School in White Rock is ranked first with a Success Index of 66.4 and an ICSEA of 1103. 9 of the top 18 are government schools and 9 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 959.
The top 10 K-12 schools in Cairns for 2025 are: 1. Trinity Anglican School (White Rock); 2. Cairns Hinterland Steiner School (Kuranda); 3. Cairns School of Distance Education (Manunda); 4. Peace Lutheran College (Kamerunga); 5. Freshwater Christian College (Brinsmead); 6. St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch Valley (Redlynch); 7. Jubilee Christian College (Atherton); 8. MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter (Mount Peter); 9. Redlynch State College (Redlynch); 10. Herberton State School (Moomin).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best k-12 school in Cairns?
Trinity Anglican School in White Rock ranks first among K-12 schools in Cairns with a Success Index of 66.4 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1103.
How are K-12 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 K-12 schools in Cairns?
9 of the top 18 K-12 schools in Cairns are government schools; 9 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.