Top 24 private primary schools in Cairns (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools offering primary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 24 schools shown out of all eligible private primary schools in Cairns.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Independent Schools
- Public Primary Schools
- Public High 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
- 170Mother of Good Counsel SchoolCairns North · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1091 · 354 students
- 266Trinity Anglican SchoolWhite Rock · Independent CombinedICSEA 1103 · 1,204 students
- 362Holy Cross SchoolTrinity Park · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1058 · 572 students
- 461Cairns Hinterland Steiner SchoolKuranda · Independent CombinedICSEA 1059 · 157 students
- 554Peace Lutheran CollegeKamerunga · Independent CombinedICSEA 1054 · 544 students
- 653Freshwater Christian CollegeBrinsmead · Independent CombinedICSEA 1041 · 562 students
- 751St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch ValleyRedlynch · Catholic CombinedICSEA 1067 · 1,373 students
- 850St Gerard Majella Primary SchoolWoree · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1035 · 399 students
- 949St Clare's SchoolTully · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1008 · 170 students
- 1049St Joseph's SchoolAtherton · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1022 · 287 students
- 1149Jubilee Christian CollegeAtherton · Independent CombinedICSEA 1017 · 850 students
- 1249Our Lady Help of Christians SchoolEarlville · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1025 · 506 students
- 1349St Joseph's SchoolParramatta Park · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1029 · 348 students
- 1448St Augustine's SchoolMossman · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1002 · 109 students
- 1547Good Counsel Primary SchoolInnisfail · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1001 · 340 students
- 1645St Michael's SchoolGordonvale · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 993 · 279 students
- 1744St Thomas' SchoolMareeba · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1002 · 431 students
- 1843St Rita's SchoolSouth Johnstone · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 970 · 107 students
- 1941MacKillop Catholic College, Mount PeterMount Peter · Catholic CombinedICSEA 987 · 1,119 students
- 2041St Therese's SchoolBentley Park · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 991 · 541 students
- 2133St Teresa's SchoolRavenshoe · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 939 · 85 students
- 2230St Francis Xavier's SchoolManunda · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 953 · 382 students
- 2325Djarragun CollegeGordonvale · Independent CombinedICSEA 683 · 259 students
- 2422Radiant Life CollegeEast Innisfail · Independent CombinedICSEA 749 · 137 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mother of Good Counsel School Cairns North · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 70.2 Top 25% | 1091 | 354 | 16.1 |
| 2 | Trinity Anglican School White Rock · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 66.4 Top 25% | 1103 | 1,204 | 12.9 |
| 3 | Holy Cross School Trinity Park · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 62.3 Top 50% | 1058 | 572 | 16.2 |
| 4 | Cairns Hinterland Steiner School Kuranda · Combined · Prep-8 | Independent | 61.4 Top 50% | 1059 | 157 | 10.0 |
| 5 | Peace Lutheran College Kamerunga · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.8 Top 50% | 1054 | 544 | 11.6 |
| 6 | Freshwater Christian College Brinsmead · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 53.0 Top 50% | 1041 | 562 | 12.2 |
| 7 | St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch Valley Redlynch · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 50.7 Top 50% | 1067 | 1,373 | 13.6 |
| 8 | St Gerard Majella Primary School Woree · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 50.0 Top 50% | 1035 | 399 | 16.8 |
| 9 | St Clare's School Tully · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 49.2 Top 50% | 1008 | 170 | 14.9 |
| 10 | St Joseph's School Atherton · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 49.2 Top 50% | 1022 | 287 | 15.4 |
| 11 | Jubilee Christian College Atherton · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 48.6 Top 50% | 1017 | 850 | 14.7 |
| 12 | Our Lady Help of Christians School Earlville · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 48.6 Lower 50% | 1025 | 506 | 15.4 |
| 13 | St Joseph's School Parramatta Park · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 48.6 Lower 50% | 1029 | 348 | 16.3 |
| 14 | St Augustine's School Mossman · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 47.8 Lower 50% | 1002 | 109 | 10.5 |
| 15 | Good Counsel Primary School Innisfail · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 47.3 Lower 50% | 1001 | 340 | 16.0 |
| 16 | St Michael's School Gordonvale · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 44.9 Lower 50% | 993 | 279 | 14.1 |
| 17 | St Thomas' School Mareeba · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 44.4 Lower 50% | 1002 | 431 | 15.0 |
| 18 | St Rita's School South Johnstone · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 43.1 Lower 50% | 970 | 107 | 11.9 |
| 19 | MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter Mount Peter · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 41.4 Lower 50% | 987 | 1,119 | 12.9 |
| 20 | St Therese's School Bentley Park · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 41.4 Lower 50% | 991 | 541 | 13.9 |
| 21 | St Teresa's School Ravenshoe · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 33.0 Lower 50% | 939 | 85 | 13.9 |
| 22 | St Francis Xavier's School Manunda · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 30.2 Lower 50% | 953 | 382 | 13.5 |
| 23 | Djarragun College Gordonvale · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 24.8 Lower 50% | 683 | 259 | 8.4 |
| 24 | Radiant Life College East Innisfail · Combined · Prep-10 | Independent | 21.8 Lower 50% | 749 | 137 | 13.7 |
There are 24 private primary schools in Cairns eligible for this list; the top 24 are shown. Mother of Good Counsel School in Cairns North is ranked first with a Success Index of 70.2 and an ICSEA of 1091. 0 of the top 24 are government schools and 24 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1013.
The top 10 private primary schools in Cairns for 2025 are: 1. Mother of Good Counsel School (Cairns North); 2. Trinity Anglican School (White Rock); 3. Holy Cross School (Trinity Park); 4. Cairns Hinterland Steiner School (Kuranda); 5. Peace Lutheran College (Kamerunga); 6. Freshwater Christian College (Brinsmead); 7. St Andrew's Catholic College Redlynch Valley (Redlynch); 8. St Gerard Majella Primary School (Woree); 9. St Clare's School (Tully); 10. St Joseph's School (Atherton).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private primary school in Cairns?
Mother of Good Counsel School in Cairns North ranks first among private primary schools in Cairns with a Success Index of 70.2 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1091.
How are private primary 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 primary schools in Cairns?
0 of the top 24 private primary schools in Cairns are government schools; 24 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.