Top 10 public high schools in Darwin (2025)
Government schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 10 schools shown out of all eligible public high schools in Darwin.
- 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
- 160Darwin High SchoolThe Gardens · Government SecondaryICSEA 1050 · 1,286 students
- 258Darwin Middle SchoolThe Gardens · Government SecondaryICSEA 1065 · 663 students
- 352Dripstone Secondary CollegeTiwi · Government SecondaryICSEA 994 · 605 students
- 450Nightcliff High SchoolNightcliff · Government SecondaryICSEA 986 · 409 students
- 531Northern Territory School of Distance EducationThe Gardens · Government SecondaryICSEA 837 · 252 students
- 628Top End School of Flexible LearningMalak · Government SecondaryICSEA 789 · 123 students
- 725Taminmin CollegeHumpty Doo · Government SecondaryICSEA 937 · 1,049 students
- 823Casuarina Senior CollegeMoil · Government SecondaryICSEA 949 · 690 students
- 922Palmerston CollegeDriver · Government SecondaryICSEA 884 · 1,267 students
- 1019Sanderson High SchoolMalak · Government SecondaryICSEA 863 · 328 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darwin High School The Gardens · Secondary · U, 10-12 | Government | 60.4 Top 50% | 1050 | 1,286 | 14.6 |
| 2 | Darwin Middle School The Gardens · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 57.5 Top 50% | 1065 | 663 | 16.5 |
| 3 | Dripstone Secondary College Tiwi · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 51.7 Top 50% | 994 | 605 | 14.2 |
| 4 | Nightcliff High School Nightcliff · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 49.6 Lower 50% | 986 | 409 | 13.6 |
| 5 | Northern Territory School of Distance Education The Gardens · Secondary · 9-12 | Government | 30.6 Lower 50% | 837 | 252 | 2.8 |
| 6 | Top End School of Flexible Learning Malak · Secondary · 5-12 | Government | 28.2 Lower 50% | 789 | 123 | 3.6 |
| 7 | Taminmin College Humpty Doo · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 24.9 Lower 50% | 937 | 1,049 | 12.3 |
| 8 | Casuarina Senior College Moil · Secondary · 10-12 | Government | 23.3 Lower 50% | 949 | 690 | 14.4 |
| 9 | Palmerston College Driver · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 22.2 Lower 50% | 884 | 1,267 | 11.4 |
| 10 | Sanderson High School Malak · Secondary · 7-9 | Government | 19.4 Lower 50% | 863 | 328 | 11.0 |
There are 10 public high schools in Darwin eligible for this list; the top 10 are shown. Darwin High School in The Gardens is ranked first with a Success Index of 60.4 and an ICSEA of 1050. 10 of the top 10 are government schools and 0 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 943.
The top 10 public high schools in Darwin for 2025 are: 1. Darwin High School (The Gardens); 2. Darwin Middle School (The Gardens); 3. Dripstone Secondary College (Tiwi); 4. Nightcliff High School (Nightcliff); 5. Northern Territory School of Distance Education (The Gardens); 6. Top End School of Flexible Learning (Malak); 7. Taminmin College (Humpty Doo); 8. Casuarina Senior College (Moil); 9. Palmerston College (Driver); 10. Sanderson High School (Malak).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best public secondary school in Darwin?
Darwin High School in The Gardens ranks first among public high schools in Darwin with a Success Index of 60.4 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1050.
How are public 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 public high schools in Darwin?
10 of the top 10 public high schools in Darwin 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.