Top 17 independent schools in Canberra (2025)
Independent (non-government, non-Catholic-system) schools. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 17 schools shown out of all eligible independent schools in Canberra.
- 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
- 185Blue Gum Community SchoolHackett · Independent CombinedICSEA 1164 · 167 students
- 284Daramalan CollegeDickson · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1127 · 1,498 students
- 381Canberra Girls Grammar SchoolDeakin · Independent CombinedICSEA 1177 · 1,203 students
- 480Radford CollegeBruce · Independent CombinedICSEA 1203 · 2,091 students
- 579Canberra Montessori SchoolHolder · Independent PrimaryICSEA 1128 · 96 students
- 678Burgmann Anglican SchoolGungahlin · Independent CombinedICSEA 1165 · 1,755 students
- 778Canberra Grammar SchoolRed Hill · Independent CombinedICSEA 1187 · 2,116 students
- 876Brindabella Christian CollegeLyneham · Independent CombinedICSEA 1154 · 929 students
- 974Marist College CanberraPearce · Independent CombinedICSEA 1142 · 1,852 students
- 1072Trinity Christian SchoolWanniassa · Independent CombinedICSEA 1150 · 1,073 students
- 1171Orana Steiner SchoolWeston · Independent CombinedICSEA 1136 · 413 students
- 1269Covenant Christian SchoolGordon · Independent CombinedICSEA 1090 · 320 students
- 1368Emmaus Christian SchoolDickson · Independent CombinedICSEA 1138 · 590 students
- 1466St Edmund's College CanberraGriffith · Independent CombinedICSEA 1080 · 935 students
- 1565Canberra Christian SchoolMawson · Independent PrimaryICSEA 1087 · 228 students
- 1662Taqwa SchoolMoncrieff · Independent CombinedICSEA 1099 · 407 students
- 1760Islamic School of CanberraWeston · Independent CombinedICSEA 1073 · 455 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Gum Community School Hackett · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 84.9 Top 5% | 1164 | 167 | 8.2 |
| 2 | Daramalan College Dickson · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 83.8 Top 5% | 1127 | 1,498 | 11.4 |
| 3 | Canberra Girls Grammar School Deakin · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 80.8 Top 10% | 1177 | 1,203 | 10.7 |
| 4 | Radford College Bruce · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 80.2 Top 10% | 1203 | 2,091 | 13.1 |
| 5 | Canberra Montessori School Holder · Primary · K-6 | Independent | 78.8 Top 5% | 1128 | 96 | 11.4 |
| 6 | Burgmann Anglican School Gungahlin · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 77.7 Top 10% | 1165 | 1,755 | 13.3 |
| 7 | Canberra Grammar School Red Hill · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 77.5 Top 25% | 1187 | 2,116 | 12.0 |
| 8 | Brindabella Christian College Lyneham · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 76.2 Top 25% | 1154 | 929 | 13.4 |
| 9 | Marist College Canberra Pearce · Combined · 4-12 | Independent | 73.9 Top 25% | 1142 | 1,852 | 13.4 |
| 10 | Trinity Christian School Wanniassa · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 72.1 Top 25% | 1150 | 1,073 | 13.7 |
| 11 | Orana Steiner School Weston · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 71.3 Top 25% | 1136 | 413 | 9.9 |
| 12 | Covenant Christian School Gordon · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 68.9 Top 25% | 1090 | 320 | 12.9 |
| 13 | Emmaus Christian School Dickson · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 68.0 Top 25% | 1138 | 590 | 19.1 |
| 14 | St Edmund's College Canberra Griffith · Combined · 4-12 | Independent | 65.8 Top 25% | 1080 | 935 | 13.1 |
| 15 | Canberra Christian School Mawson · Primary · K-6 | Independent | 65.4 Top 25% | 1087 | 228 | 17.4 |
| 16 | Taqwa School Moncrieff · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 61.6 Top 50% | 1099 | 407 | 15.5 |
| 17 | Islamic School of Canberra Weston · Combined · K-11 | Independent | 59.7 Top 50% | 1073 | 455 | 14.8 |
There are 17 independent schools in Canberra eligible for this list; the top 17 are shown. Blue Gum Community School in Hackett is ranked first with a Success Index of 84.9 and an ICSEA of 1164. 0 of the top 17 are government schools and 17 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1138.
The top 10 independent schools in Canberra for 2025 are: 1. Blue Gum Community School (Hackett); 2. Daramalan College (Dickson); 3. Canberra Girls Grammar School (Deakin); 4. Radford College (Bruce); 5. Canberra Montessori School (Holder); 6. Burgmann Anglican School (Gungahlin); 7. Canberra Grammar School (Red Hill); 8. Brindabella Christian College (Lyneham); 9. Marist College Canberra (Pearce); 10. Trinity Christian School (Wanniassa).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best independent school in Canberra?
Blue Gum Community School in Hackett ranks first among independent schools in Canberra with a Success Index of 84.9 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1164.
How are independent schools in Canberra 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 Canberra?
0 of the top 17 independent schools in Canberra 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.