Top 12 private high schools in Darwin (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 12 schools shown out of all eligible private high schools in Darwin.
- 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
- 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
- 559MacKillop Catholic CollegeJohnston · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1001 · 795 students
- 654St John's Catholic CollegeThe Gardens · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 957 · 287 students
- 750NT Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent SecondaryICSEA 987 · 93 students
- 847Good Shepherd Lutheran CollegeHoward Springs · Independent CombinedICSEA 1025 · 1,117 students
- 944SEDA College NTFannie Bay · Independent SecondaryICSEA 980 · 150 students
- 1040Sattler Christian CollegeFreds Pass · Independent CombinedICSEA 997 · 245 students
- 1137Palmerston Christian CollegeMarlow Lagoon · Independent CombinedICSEA 1008 · 365 students
- 1228Marrara Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent CombinedICSEA 962 · 289 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 | MacKillop Catholic College Johnston · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 59.1 Top 50% | 1001 | 795 | 10.4 |
| 6 | St John's Catholic College The Gardens · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 54.3 Top 50% | 957 | 287 | 10.7 |
| 7 | NT Christian College Marrara · Secondary · 11-12 | Independent | 50.0 Lower 50% | 987 | 93 | 8.9 |
| 8 | Good Shepherd Lutheran College Howard Springs · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 46.8 Lower 50% | 1025 | 1,117 | 12.4 |
| 9 | SEDA College NT Fannie Bay · Secondary · 10-12 | Independent | 43.9 Lower 50% | 980 | 150 | 13.2 |
| 10 | Sattler Christian College Freds Pass · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 39.6 Lower 50% | 997 | 245 | 15.5 |
| 11 | Palmerston Christian College Marlow Lagoon · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 36.7 Lower 50% | 1008 | 365 | 15.0 |
| 12 | Marrara Christian College Marrara · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 28.2 Lower 50% | 962 | 289 | 12.8 |
There are 12 private high schools in Darwin eligible for this list; the top 12 are shown. Haileybury Rendall School in Berrimah is ranked first with a Success Index of 75.0 and an ICSEA of 1082. 0 of the top 12 are government schools and 12 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1005.
The top 10 private 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. MacKillop Catholic College (Johnston); 6. St John's Catholic College (The Gardens); 7. NT Christian College (Marrara); 8. Good Shepherd Lutheran College (Howard Springs); 9. SEDA College NT (Fannie Bay); 10. Sattler Christian College (Freds Pass).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private secondary school in Darwin?
Haileybury Rendall School in Berrimah ranks first among private high schools in Darwin with a Success Index of 75.0 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1082.
How are private 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 private high schools in Darwin?
0 of the top 12 private 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.