Top 19 private schools in Darwin (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools across all year levels. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 19 schools shown out of all eligible private schools in Darwin.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public 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
- 177St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolRapid Creek · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1077 · 221 students
- 275Haileybury Rendall SchoolBerrimah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1082 · 970 students
- 371St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolDarwin · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1076 · 180 students
- 471The Essington SchoolRapid Creek · Independent CombinedICSEA 1128 · 782 students
- 561O'Loughlin Catholic CollegeKarama · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1025 · 599 students
- 661Milkwood Steiner SchoolBerrimah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1053 · 118 students
- 759Mother Teresa Catholic Primary SchoolZuccoli · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1027 · 379 students
- 859MacKillop Catholic CollegeJohnston · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1001 · 795 students
- 957Holy Spirit Catholic Primary SchoolWanguri · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1035 · 243 students
- 1054St John's Catholic CollegeThe Gardens · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 957 · 287 students
- 1150NT Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent SecondaryICSEA 987 · 93 students
- 1247Good Shepherd Lutheran CollegeHoward Springs · Independent CombinedICSEA 1025 · 1,117 students
- 1346Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolWoodroffe · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 983 · 165 students
- 1444SEDA College NTFannie Bay · Independent SecondaryICSEA 980 · 150 students
- 1544St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary SchoolHumpty Doo · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 979 · 107 students
- 1640Sattler Christian CollegeFreds Pass · Independent CombinedICSEA 997 · 245 students
- 1737Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolKarama · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 968 · 248 students
- 1837Palmerston Christian CollegeMarlow Lagoon · Independent CombinedICSEA 1008 · 365 students
- 1928Marrara Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent CombinedICSEA 962 · 289 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Paul's Catholic Primary School Rapid Creek · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 76.8 Top 10% | 1077 | 221 | 11.9 |
| 2 | Haileybury Rendall School Berrimah · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 75.0 Top 25% | 1082 | 970 | 10.6 |
| 3 | St Mary's Catholic Primary School Darwin · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 71.3 Top 25% | 1076 | 180 | 13.4 |
| 4 | The Essington School Rapid Creek · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 71.1 Top 25% | 1128 | 782 | 12.2 |
| 5 | O'Loughlin Catholic College Karama · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 61.4 Top 50% | 1025 | 599 | 12.0 |
| 6 | Milkwood Steiner School Berrimah · Combined · T-8 | Independent | 61.0 Top 50% | 1053 | 118 | 8.1 |
| 7 | Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School Zuccoli · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 59.4 Top 50% | 1027 | 379 | 15.7 |
| 8 | MacKillop Catholic College Johnston · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 59.1 Top 50% | 1001 | 795 | 10.4 |
| 9 | Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School Wanguri · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 57.0 Top 50% | 1035 | 243 | 14.0 |
| 10 | St John's Catholic College The Gardens · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 54.3 Top 50% | 957 | 287 | 10.7 |
| 11 | NT Christian College Marrara · Secondary · 11-12 | Independent | 50.0 Lower 50% | 987 | 93 | 8.9 |
| 12 | Good Shepherd Lutheran College Howard Springs · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 46.8 Lower 50% | 1025 | 1,117 | 12.4 |
| 13 | Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Woodroffe · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 45.5 Lower 50% | 983 | 165 | 12.1 |
| 14 | SEDA College NT Fannie Bay · Secondary · 10-12 | Independent | 43.9 Lower 50% | 980 | 150 | 13.2 |
| 15 | St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School Humpty Doo · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 43.9 Lower 50% | 979 | 107 | 12.6 |
| 16 | Sattler Christian College Freds Pass · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 39.6 Lower 50% | 997 | 245 | 15.5 |
| 17 | Holy Family Catholic Primary School Karama · Primary · T-6 | Catholic | 37.2 Lower 50% | 968 | 248 | 16.1 |
| 18 | Palmerston Christian College Marlow Lagoon · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 36.7 Lower 50% | 1008 | 365 | 15.0 |
| 19 | Marrara Christian College Marrara · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 28.2 Lower 50% | 962 | 289 | 12.8 |
There are 19 private schools in Darwin eligible for this list; the top 19 are shown. St Paul's Catholic Primary School in Rapid Creek is ranked first with a Success Index of 76.8 and an ICSEA of 1077. 0 of the top 19 are government schools and 19 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1008.
The top 10 private schools in Darwin for 2025 are: 1. St Paul's Catholic Primary School (Rapid Creek); 2. Haileybury Rendall School (Berrimah); 3. St Mary's Catholic Primary School (Darwin); 4. The Essington School (Rapid Creek); 5. O'Loughlin Catholic College (Karama); 6. Milkwood Steiner School (Berrimah); 7. Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School (Zuccoli); 8. MacKillop Catholic College (Johnston); 9. Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School (Wanguri); 10. St John's Catholic College (The Gardens).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private school in Darwin?
St Paul's Catholic Primary School in Rapid Creek ranks first among private schools in Darwin with a Success Index of 76.8 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1077.
How are private 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 schools in Darwin?
0 of the top 19 private schools in Darwin are government schools; 19 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.