Top 30 public high schools in Canberra (2025)
Government schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 30 schools shown out of all eligible public high schools in Canberra.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Independent Schools
- Public Primary 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
- 181Shirley Smith High SchoolKenny · Government SecondaryICSEA 1078 · 210 students
- 279Campbell High SchoolCampbell · Government SecondaryICSEA 1120 · 420 students
- 376Narrabundah CollegeNarrabundah · Government SecondaryICSEA 1131 · 977 students
- 476Dickson CollegeDickson · Government SecondaryICSEA 1101 · 899 students
- 575Belconnen High SchoolHawker · Government SecondaryICSEA 1066 · 636 students
- 674Alfred Deakin High SchoolDeakin · Government SecondaryICSEA 1132 · 881 students
- 774Hawker CollegeHawker · Government SecondaryICSEA 1073 · 605 students
- 873Evelyn Scott SchoolDenman Prospect · Government CombinedICSEA 1107 · 717 students
- 973Aunty Agnes Shea High SchoolTaylor · Government SecondaryICSEA 1051 · 83 students
- 1073Melba Copland Secondary SchoolMelba · Government SecondaryICSEA 1041 · 953 students
- 1173University of Canberra High School KaleenKaleen · Government SecondaryICSEA 1056 · 571 students
- 1273Mount Stromlo High SchoolWaramanga · Government SecondaryICSEA 1085 · 846 students
- 1371Telopea Park SchoolBarton · Government CombinedICSEA 1153 · 1,586 students
- 1470Lyneham High SchoolLyneham · Government SecondaryICSEA 1132 · 1,034 students
- 1569University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake GinninderraBelconnen · Government SecondaryICSEA 1066 · 781 students
- 1668Canberra High SchoolMacquarie · Government SecondaryICSEA 1100 · 898 students
- 1768The Canberra CollegePhillip · Government SecondaryICSEA 1087 · 1,174 students
- 1868Melrose High SchoolPearce · Government SecondaryICSEA 1079 · 776 students
- 1965Erindale CollegeWanniassa · Government SecondaryICSEA 1041 · 871 students
- 2061Gungahlin CollegeGungahlin · Government SecondaryICSEA 1061 · 1,070 students
- 2158Lanyon High SchoolConder · Government SecondaryICSEA 1005 · 524 students
- 2256Gold Creek SchoolNicholls · Government CombinedICSEA 1052 · 1,261 students
- 2355Amaroo SchoolAmaroo · Government CombinedICSEA 1070 · 1,638 students
- 2453Lake Tuggeranong CollegeGreenway · Government SecondaryICSEA 1023 · 620 students
- 2545Harrison SchoolHarrison · Government CombinedICSEA 1058 · 1,365 students
- 2645Wanniassa SchoolWanniassa · Government CombinedICSEA 991 · 538 students
- 2742Kingsford Smith SchoolHolt · Government CombinedICSEA 991 · 742 students
- 2838Calwell High SchoolCalwell · Government SecondaryICSEA 972 · 371 students
- 2938Caroline Chisholm SchoolChisholm · Government CombinedICSEA 989 · 571 students
- 3036Namadgi SchoolKambah · Government CombinedICSEA 978 · 578 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shirley Smith High School Kenny · Secondary · 7-8 | Government | 81.0 Top 5% | 1078 | 210 | 10.3 |
| 2 | Campbell High School Campbell · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 79.4 Top 10% | 1120 | 420 | 11.1 |
| 3 | Narrabundah College Narrabundah · Secondary · 11-12 | Government | 75.8 Top 25% | 1131 | 977 | 14.7 |
| 4 | Dickson College Dickson · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 75.6 Top 25% | 1101 | 899 | 14.5 |
| 5 | Belconnen High School Hawker · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 74.9 Top 25% | 1066 | 636 | 11.9 |
| 6 | Alfred Deakin High School Deakin · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 73.9 Top 25% | 1132 | 881 | 13.6 |
| 7 | Hawker College Hawker · Secondary · 11-12 | Government | 73.8 Top 25% | 1073 | 605 | 13.3 |
| 8 | Evelyn Scott School Denman Prospect · Combined · K-10 | Government | 73.4 Top 25% | 1107 | 717 | 11.4 |
| 9 | Aunty Agnes Shea High School Taylor · Secondary · 7 | Government | 73.1 Top 25% | 1051 | 83 | 6.7 |
| 10 | Melba Copland Secondary School Melba · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 73.1 Top 25% | 1041 | 953 | 11.2 |
| 11 | University of Canberra High School Kaleen Kaleen · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 72.7 Top 25% | 1056 | 571 | 12.6 |
| 12 | Mount Stromlo High School Waramanga · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 72.6 Top 25% | 1085 | 846 | 13.7 |
| 13 | Telopea Park School Barton · Combined · K-10 | Government | 70.8 Top 25% | 1153 | 1,586 | 13.5 |
| 14 | Lyneham High School Lyneham · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 69.9 Top 25% | 1132 | 1,034 | 13.5 |
| 15 | University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra Belconnen · Secondary · 11-12 | Government | 68.5 Top 25% | 1066 | 781 | 14.4 |
| 16 | Canberra High School Macquarie · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 68.2 Top 25% | 1100 | 898 | 13.5 |
| 17 | The Canberra College Phillip · Secondary · 11-12 | Government | 68.0 Top 25% | 1087 | 1,174 | 15.5 |
| 18 | Melrose High School Pearce · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 67.6 Top 25% | 1079 | 776 | 13.6 |
| 19 | Erindale College Wanniassa · Secondary · 10-12 | Government | 64.9 Top 50% | 1041 | 871 | 14.0 |
| 20 | Gungahlin College Gungahlin · Secondary · 10-12 | Government | 61.2 Top 50% | 1061 | 1,070 | 13.4 |
| 21 | Lanyon High School Conder · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 57.5 Top 50% | 1005 | 524 | 12.7 |
| 22 | Gold Creek School Nicholls · Combined · K-10 | Government | 56.3 Top 50% | 1052 | 1,261 | 13.0 |
| 23 | Amaroo School Amaroo · Combined · K-10 | Government | 54.6 Top 50% | 1070 | 1,638 | 13.0 |
| 24 | Lake Tuggeranong College Greenway · Secondary · 11-12 | Government | 52.7 Top 50% | 1023 | 620 | 12.0 |
| 25 | Harrison School Harrison · Combined · K-10 | Government | 45.4 Lower 50% | 1058 | 1,365 | 14.6 |
| 26 | Wanniassa School Wanniassa · Combined · K-10 | Government | 45.4 Lower 50% | 991 | 538 | 10.3 |
| 27 | Kingsford Smith School Holt · Combined · K-10 | Government | 41.9 Lower 50% | 991 | 742 | 9.2 |
| 28 | Calwell High School Calwell · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 38.3 Lower 50% | 972 | 371 | 12.0 |
| 29 | Caroline Chisholm School Chisholm · Combined · K-10 | Government | 37.8 Lower 50% | 989 | 571 | 11.1 |
| 30 | Namadgi School Kambah · Combined · K-10 | Government | 35.8 Lower 50% | 978 | 578 | 12.2 |
There are 30 public high schools in Canberra eligible for this list; the top 30 are shown. Shirley Smith High School in Kenny is ranked first with a Success Index of 81.0 and an ICSEA of 1078. 30 of the top 30 are government schools and 0 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1066.
The top 10 public high schools in Canberra for 2025 are: 1. Shirley Smith High School (Kenny); 2. Campbell High School (Campbell); 3. Narrabundah College (Narrabundah); 4. Dickson College (Dickson); 5. Belconnen High School (Hawker); 6. Alfred Deakin High School (Deakin); 7. Hawker College (Hawker); 8. Evelyn Scott School (Denman Prospect); 9. Aunty Agnes Shea High School (Taylor); 10. Melba Copland Secondary School (Melba).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best public secondary school in Canberra?
Shirley Smith High School in Kenny ranks first among public high schools in Canberra with a Success Index of 81.0 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1078.
How are public 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 public high schools in Canberra?
30 of the top 30 public high schools in Canberra are government schools; 0 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.