Top 17 private high schools in Cairns (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 17 schools shown out of all eligible private high schools in Cairns.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Independent Schools
- Public Primary Schools
- Public High Schools
- Private Primary 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
- 171Newman Catholic CollegeSmithfield · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1046 · 625 students
- 267St Augustine's CollegeCairns · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1060 · 777 students
- 366Trinity Anglican SchoolWhite Rock · Independent CombinedICSEA 1103 · 1,204 students
- 465St Monica's CollegeCairns · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1058 · 697 students
- 561Cairns Hinterland Steiner SchoolKuranda · Independent CombinedICSEA 1059 · 157 students
- 661St Stephen's Catholic CollegeMareeba · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1041 · 652 students
- 754Peace Lutheran CollegeKamerunga · Independent CombinedICSEA 1054 · 544 students
- 853Freshwater Christian CollegeBrinsmead · Independent CombinedICSEA 1041 · 562 students
- 953St Mary's Catholic CollegeWoree · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1023 · 949 students
- 1051St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch ValleyRedlynch · Catholic CombinedICSEA 1067 · 1,373 students
- 1149Jubilee Christian CollegeAtherton · Independent CombinedICSEA 1017 · 850 students
- 1244Good Counsel CollegeInnisfail · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 982 · 414 students
- 1341MacKillop Catholic College, Mount PeterMount Peter · Catholic CombinedICSEA 987 · 1,119 students
- 1441The BUSY SchoolCairns · Independent SecondaryICSEA 975 · 1,780 students
- 1525Djarragun CollegeGordonvale · Independent CombinedICSEA 683 · 259 students
- 1623Mount St Bernard CollegeHerberton · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 807 · 145 students
- 1722Radiant Life CollegeEast Innisfail · Independent CombinedICSEA 749 · 137 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newman Catholic College Smithfield · Secondary · 7-10 | Catholic | 70.6 Top 25% | 1046 | 625 | 10.9 |
| 2 | St Augustine's College Cairns · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 66.8 Top 25% | 1060 | 777 | 11.8 |
| 3 | Trinity Anglican School White Rock · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 66.4 Top 25% | 1103 | 1,204 | 12.9 |
| 4 | St Monica's College Cairns · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 64.7 Top 50% | 1058 | 697 | 12.3 |
| 5 | Cairns Hinterland Steiner School Kuranda · Combined · Prep-8 | Independent | 61.4 Top 50% | 1059 | 157 | 10.0 |
| 6 | St Stephen's Catholic College Mareeba · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 60.6 Top 50% | 1041 | 652 | 12.8 |
| 7 | Peace Lutheran College Kamerunga · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.8 Top 50% | 1054 | 544 | 11.6 |
| 8 | Freshwater Christian College Brinsmead · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.0 Top 50% | 1041 | 562 | 12.2 |
| 9 | St Mary's Catholic College Woree · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 52.6 Top 50% | 1023 | 949 | 12.1 |
| 10 | St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch Valley Redlynch · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 50.7 Top 50% | 1067 | 1,373 | 13.6 |
| 11 | Jubilee Christian College Atherton · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 48.6 Top 50% | 1017 | 850 | 14.7 |
| 12 | Good Counsel College Innisfail · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 43.6 Lower 50% | 982 | 414 | 11.9 |
| 13 | MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter Mount Peter · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 41.4 Lower 50% | 987 | 1,119 | 12.9 |
| 14 | The BUSY School Cairns · Secondary · 11-12 | Independent | 41.2 Lower 50% | 975 | 1,780 | 20.9 |
| 15 | Djarragun College Gordonvale · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 24.8 Lower 50% | 683 | 259 | 8.4 |
| 16 | Mount St Bernard College Herberton · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 23.3 Lower 50% | 807 | 145 | 7.1 |
| 17 | Radiant Life College East Innisfail · Combined · Prep-10 | Independent | 21.8 Lower 50% | 749 | 137 | 13.7 |
There are 17 private high schools in Cairns eligible for this list; the top 17 are shown. Newman Catholic College in Smithfield is ranked first with a Success Index of 70.6 and an ICSEA of 1046. 0 of the top 17 are government schools and 17 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1041.
The top 10 private high schools in Cairns for 2025 are: 1. Newman Catholic College (Smithfield); 2. St Augustine's College (Cairns); 3. Trinity Anglican School (White Rock); 4. St Monica's College (Cairns); 5. Cairns Hinterland Steiner School (Kuranda); 6. St Stephen's Catholic College (Mareeba); 7. Peace Lutheran College (Kamerunga); 8. Freshwater Christian College (Brinsmead); 9. St Mary's Catholic College (Woree); 10. St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch Valley (Redlynch).
Download this table as CSV · free to reuse with attribution to ACARA and Success Tutoring
Free academic assessment
Aiming for a top private secondary school?
Entry to high-demand schools, selective streams and scholarships rewards strong fundamentals. A free assessment shows where your child stands today and what to work on.
- Personalised learning plan mapped to the Australian Curriculum
- English & Maths from Kindergarten to Year 12
- Flexible memberships, no lock-in contracts
- Centres across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA and ACT
Frequently asked questions
What is the best private secondary school in Cairns?
Newman Catholic College in Smithfield ranks first among private high schools in Cairns with a Success Index of 70.6 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1046.
How are private high 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 private high schools in Cairns?
0 of the top 17 private high schools in Cairns are government schools; 17 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.