Top 22 high schools in Darwin (2025)
Schools offering secondary years (Secondary and Combined schools). Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 22 schools shown out of all eligible high schools in Darwin.
- Primary Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Independent 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
- 175Haileybury Rendall SchoolBerrimah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1082 · 970 students
- 271The Essington SchoolRapid Creek · Independent CombinedICSEA 1128 · 782 students
- 361O'Loughlin Catholic CollegeKarama · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1025 · 599 students
- 461Milkwood Steiner SchoolBerrimah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1053 · 118 students
- 560Darwin High SchoolThe Gardens · Government SecondaryICSEA 1050 · 1,286 students
- 659MacKillop Catholic CollegeJohnston · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1001 · 795 students
- 758Darwin Middle SchoolThe Gardens · Government SecondaryICSEA 1065 · 663 students
- 854St John's Catholic CollegeThe Gardens · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 957 · 287 students
- 952Dripstone Secondary CollegeTiwi · Government SecondaryICSEA 994 · 605 students
- 1050NT Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent SecondaryICSEA 987 · 93 students
- 1150Nightcliff High SchoolNightcliff · Government SecondaryICSEA 986 · 409 students
- 1247Good Shepherd Lutheran CollegeHoward Springs · Independent CombinedICSEA 1025 · 1,117 students
- 1344SEDA College NTFannie Bay · Independent SecondaryICSEA 980 · 150 students
- 1440Sattler Christian CollegeFreds Pass · Independent CombinedICSEA 997 · 245 students
- 1537Palmerston Christian CollegeMarlow Lagoon · Independent CombinedICSEA 1008 · 365 students
- 1631Northern Territory School of Distance EducationThe Gardens · Government SecondaryICSEA 837 · 252 students
- 1728Marrara Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent CombinedICSEA 962 · 289 students
- 1828Top End School of Flexible LearningMalak · Government SecondaryICSEA 789 · 123 students
- 1925Taminmin CollegeHumpty Doo · Government SecondaryICSEA 937 · 1,049 students
- 2023Casuarina Senior CollegeMoil · Government SecondaryICSEA 949 · 690 students
- 2122Palmerston CollegeDriver · Government SecondaryICSEA 884 · 1,267 students
- 2219Sanderson High SchoolMalak · Government SecondaryICSEA 863 · 328 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haileybury Rendall School Berrimah · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 75.0 Top 25% | 1082 | 970 | 10.6 |
| 2 | The Essington School Rapid Creek · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 71.1 Top 25% | 1128 | 782 | 12.2 |
| 3 | O'Loughlin Catholic College Karama · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 61.4 Top 50% | 1025 | 599 | 12.0 |
| 4 | Milkwood Steiner School Berrimah · Combined · T-8 | Independent | 61.0 Top 50% | 1053 | 118 | 8.1 |
| 5 | Darwin High School The Gardens · Secondary · U, 10-12 | Government | 60.4 Top 50% | 1050 | 1,286 | 14.6 |
| 6 | MacKillop Catholic College Johnston · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 59.1 Top 50% | 1001 | 795 | 10.4 |
| 7 | Darwin Middle School The Gardens · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 57.5 Top 50% | 1065 | 663 | 16.5 |
| 8 | St John's Catholic College The Gardens · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 54.3 Top 50% | 957 | 287 | 10.7 |
| 9 | Dripstone Secondary College Tiwi · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 51.7 Top 50% | 994 | 605 | 14.2 |
| 10 | NT Christian College Marrara · Secondary · 11-12 | Independent | 50.0 Lower 50% | 987 | 93 | 8.9 |
| 11 | Nightcliff High School Nightcliff · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 49.6 Lower 50% | 986 | 409 | 13.6 |
| 12 | Good Shepherd Lutheran College Howard Springs · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 46.8 Lower 50% | 1025 | 1,117 | 12.4 |
| 13 | SEDA College NT Fannie Bay · Secondary · 10-12 | Independent | 43.9 Lower 50% | 980 | 150 | 13.2 |
| 14 | Sattler Christian College Freds Pass · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 39.6 Lower 50% | 997 | 245 | 15.5 |
| 15 | Palmerston Christian College Marlow Lagoon · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 36.7 Lower 50% | 1008 | 365 | 15.0 |
| 16 | Northern Territory School of Distance Education The Gardens · Secondary · 9-12 | Government | 30.6 Lower 50% | 837 | 252 | 2.8 |
| 17 | Marrara Christian College Marrara · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 28.2 Lower 50% | 962 | 289 | 12.8 |
| 18 | Top End School of Flexible Learning Malak · Secondary · 5-12 | Government | 28.2 Lower 50% | 789 | 123 | 3.6 |
| 19 | Taminmin College Humpty Doo · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 24.9 Lower 50% | 937 | 1,049 | 12.3 |
| 20 | Casuarina Senior College Moil · Secondary · 10-12 | Government | 23.3 Lower 50% | 949 | 690 | 14.4 |
| 21 | Palmerston College Driver · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 22.2 Lower 50% | 884 | 1,267 | 11.4 |
| 22 | Sanderson High School Malak · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 19.4 Lower 50% | 863 | 328 | 11.0 |
There are 22 high schools in Darwin eligible for this list; the top 22 are shown. Haileybury Rendall School in Berrimah is ranked first with a Success Index of 75.0 and an ICSEA of 1082. 10 of the top 22 are government schools and 12 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 991.
The top 10 high schools in Darwin for 2025 are: 1. Haileybury Rendall School (Berrimah); 2. The Essington School (Rapid Creek); 3. O'Loughlin Catholic College (Karama); 4. Milkwood Steiner School (Berrimah); 5. Darwin High School (The Gardens); 6. MacKillop Catholic College (Johnston); 7. Darwin Middle School (The Gardens); 8. St John's Catholic College (The Gardens); 9. Dripstone Secondary College (Tiwi); 10. NT Christian College (Marrara).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best secondary school in Darwin?
Haileybury Rendall School in Berrimah ranks first among high schools in Darwin with a Success Index of 75.0 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1082.
How are high schools in Darwin 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 high schools in Darwin?
10 of the top 22 high schools in Darwin are government schools; 12 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.