Top 20 private high schools in Canberra (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 20 schools shown out of all eligible private high schools in Canberra.
- 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
- 186Merici CollegeBraddon · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1138 · 992 students
- 285Blue Gum Community SchoolHackett · Independent CombinedICSEA 1164 · 167 students
- 384Daramalan CollegeDickson · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1127 · 1,498 students
- 481Canberra Girls Grammar SchoolDeakin · Independent CombinedICSEA 1177 · 1,203 students
- 580Radford CollegeBruce · Independent CombinedICSEA 1203 · 2,091 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
- 975St John Paul II CollegeNicholls · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1089 · 880 students
- 1074Marist College CanberraPearce · Independent CombinedICSEA 1142 · 1,852 students
- 1172St Francis Xavier CollegeFlorey · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1070 · 1,323 students
- 1272Trinity Christian SchoolWanniassa · Independent CombinedICSEA 1150 · 1,073 students
- 1371Orana Steiner SchoolWeston · Independent CombinedICSEA 1136 · 413 students
- 1469Covenant Christian SchoolGordon · Independent CombinedICSEA 1090 · 320 students
- 1568Emmaus Christian SchoolDickson · Independent CombinedICSEA 1138 · 590 students
- 1668St Mary MacKillop CollegeIsabella Plains · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1068 · 2,088 students
- 1766St Clare's CollegeGriffith · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1087 · 887 students
- 1866St Edmund's College CanberraGriffith · Independent CombinedICSEA 1080 · 935 students
- 1962Taqwa SchoolMoncrieff · Independent CombinedICSEA 1099 · 407 students
- 2060Islamic School of CanberraWeston · Independent CombinedICSEA 1073 · 455 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merici College Braddon · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 85.8 Top 5% | 1138 | 992 | 13.1 |
| 2 | Blue Gum Community School Hackett · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 84.9 Top 5% | 1164 | 167 | 8.2 |
| 3 | Daramalan College Dickson · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 83.8 Top 5% | 1127 | 1,498 | 11.4 |
| 4 | Canberra Girls Grammar School Deakin · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 80.8 Top 10% | 1177 | 1,203 | 10.7 |
| 5 | Radford College Bruce · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 80.2 Top 10% | 1203 | 2,091 | 13.1 |
| 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 | St John Paul II College Nicholls · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 74.9 Top 25% | 1089 | 880 | 11.7 |
| 10 | Marist College Canberra Pearce · Combined · 4-12 | Independent | 73.9 Top 25% | 1142 | 1,852 | 13.4 |
| 11 | St Francis Xavier College Florey · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 72.3 Top 25% | 1070 | 1,323 | 11.4 |
| 12 | Trinity Christian School Wanniassa · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 72.1 Top 25% | 1150 | 1,073 | 13.7 |
| 13 | Orana Steiner School Weston · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 71.3 Top 25% | 1136 | 413 | 9.9 |
| 14 | Covenant Christian School Gordon · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 68.9 Top 25% | 1090 | 320 | 12.9 |
| 15 | Emmaus Christian School Dickson · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 68.0 Top 25% | 1138 | 590 | 19.1 |
| 16 | St Mary MacKillop College Isabella Plains · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 67.7 Top 25% | 1068 | 2,088 | 13.8 |
| 17 | St Clare's College Griffith · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 66.3 Top 50% | 1087 | 887 | 13.8 |
| 18 | St Edmund's College Canberra Griffith · Combined · 4-12 | Independent | 65.8 Top 25% | 1080 | 935 | 13.1 |
| 19 | Taqwa School Moncrieff · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 61.6 Top 50% | 1099 | 407 | 15.5 |
| 20 | Islamic School of Canberra Weston · Combined · K-11 | Independent | 59.7 Top 50% | 1073 | 455 | 14.8 |
There are 20 private high schools in Canberra eligible for this list; the top 20 are shown. Merici College in Braddon is ranked first with a Success Index of 85.8 and an ICSEA of 1138. 0 of the top 20 are government schools and 20 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1137.
The top 10 private high schools in Canberra for 2025 are: 1. Merici College (Braddon); 2. Blue Gum Community School (Hackett); 3. Daramalan College (Dickson); 4. Canberra Girls Grammar School (Deakin); 5. Radford College (Bruce); 6. Burgmann Anglican School (Gungahlin); 7. Canberra Grammar School (Red Hill); 8. Brindabella Christian College (Lyneham); 9. St John Paul II College (Nicholls); 10. Marist College Canberra (Pearce).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private secondary school in Canberra?
Merici College in Braddon ranks first among private high schools in Canberra with a Success Index of 85.8 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1138.
How are private high 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 private high schools in Canberra?
0 of the top 20 private high schools in Canberra are government schools; 20 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.