Top 24 private high schools in Gold Coast (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 24 schools shown out of all eligible private high schools in Gold Coast.
- 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
- 174St Hilda's SchoolSouthport · Independent CombinedICSEA 1135 · 1,258 students
- 271The Southport SchoolSouthport · Independent CombinedICSEA 1118 · 1,621 students
- 371Somerset CollegeMudgeeraba · Independent CombinedICSEA 1157 · 1,612 students
- 470All Saints Anglican SchoolMerrimac · Independent CombinedICSEA 1137 · 1,828 students
- 567A B Paterson CollegeArundel · Independent CombinedICSEA 1123 · 1,652 students
- 666Emmanuel CollegeCarrara · Independent CombinedICSEA 1139 · 1,686 students
- 766Marymount CollegeBurleigh Waters · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1073 · 1,262 students
- 866Saint Stephen's CollegeCoomera · Independent CombinedICSEA 1109 · 1,315 students
- 965Hillcrest Christian CollegeReedy Creek · Independent CombinedICSEA 1104 · 2,055 students
- 1062Silkwood SchoolMount Nathan · Independent CombinedICSEA 1073 · 765 students
- 1161Trinity Lutheran CollegeAshmore · Independent CombinedICSEA 1086 · 1,322 students
- 1261St Michael's CollegeMerrimac · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1048 · 820 students
- 1360Aquinas CollegeAshmore · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1058 · 805 students
- 1460St Andrews Lutheran CollegeTallebudgera · Independent CombinedICSEA 1104 · 1,377 students
- 1560Coomera Anglican CollegeUpper Coomera · Independent CombinedICSEA 1084 · 1,595 students
- 1658Gold Coast Christian CollegeReedy Creek · Independent CombinedICSEA 1066 · 237 students
- 1758Tamborine Mountain CollegeNorth Tamborine · Independent CombinedICSEA 1073 · 546 students
- 1857King's Christian CollegeReedy Creek · Independent CombinedICSEA 1074 · 5,166 students
- 1954The Industry School - Gold CoastRobina · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1040 · 315 students
- 2052Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District SchoolPimpama · Independent CombinedICSEA 1056 · 794 students
- 2151St Joseph's CollegeCoomera · Catholic CombinedICSEA 1039 · 1,299 students
- 2247Assisi Catholic CollegeUpper Coomera · Catholic CombinedICSEA 1055 · 1,516 students
- 2347Rivermount CollegeYatala · Independent CombinedICSEA 1046 · 982 students
- 2446Livingstone Christian CollegeOrmeau · Independent CombinedICSEA 1043 · 1,222 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Hilda's School Southport · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 73.9 Top 25% | 1135 | 1,258 | 12.5 |
| 2 | The Southport School Southport · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 70.8 Top 25% | 1118 | 1,621 | 10.9 |
| 3 | Somerset College Mudgeeraba · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 70.6 Top 25% | 1157 | 1,612 | 14.7 |
| 4 | All Saints Anglican School Merrimac · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 69.9 Top 25% | 1137 | 1,828 | 11.8 |
| 5 | A B Paterson College Arundel · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 67.1 Top 25% | 1123 | 1,652 | 14.6 |
| 6 | Emmanuel College Carrara · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 66.3 Top 25% | 1139 | 1,686 | 15.3 |
| 7 | Marymount College Burleigh Waters · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 66.3 Top 50% | 1073 | 1,262 | 12.7 |
| 8 | Saint Stephen's College Coomera · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 65.7 Top 25% | 1109 | 1,315 | 13.3 |
| 9 | Hillcrest Christian College Reedy Creek · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 65.1 Top 50% | 1104 | 2,055 | 15.8 |
| 10 | Silkwood School Mount Nathan · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 61.6 Top 50% | 1073 | 765 | 12.4 |
| 11 | Trinity Lutheran College Ashmore · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 61.1 Top 50% | 1086 | 1,322 | 13.4 |
| 12 | St Michael's College Merrimac · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 60.6 Top 50% | 1048 | 820 | 12.2 |
| 13 | Aquinas College Ashmore · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 60.3 Top 50% | 1058 | 805 | 12.8 |
| 14 | St Andrews Lutheran College Tallebudgera · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 60.1 Top 50% | 1104 | 1,377 | 15.7 |
| 15 | Coomera Anglican College Upper Coomera · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 59.8 Top 50% | 1084 | 1,595 | 14.8 |
| 16 | Gold Coast Christian College Reedy Creek · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 58.0 Top 50% | 1066 | 237 | 10.4 |
| 17 | Tamborine Mountain College North Tamborine · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 57.5 Top 50% | 1073 | 546 | 12.9 |
| 18 | King's Christian College Reedy Creek · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 57.0 Top 50% | 1074 | 5,166 | 15.0 |
| 19 | The Industry School - Gold Coast Robina · Secondary · 10-12 | Independent | 54.0 Top 50% | 1040 | 315 | 21.6 |
| 20 | Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School Pimpama · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 52.0 Top 50% | 1056 | 794 | 14.5 |
| 21 | St Joseph's College Coomera · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 50.5 Top 50% | 1039 | 1,299 | 14.0 |
| 22 | Assisi Catholic College Upper Coomera · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 46.9 Lower 50% | 1055 | 1,516 | 14.6 |
| 23 | Rivermount College Yatala · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 46.6 Lower 50% | 1046 | 982 | 13.9 |
| 24 | Livingstone Christian College Ormeau · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 46.2 Lower 50% | 1043 | 1,222 | 13.9 |
There are 24 private high schools in Gold Coast eligible for this list; the top 24 are shown. St Hilda's School in Southport is ranked first with a Success Index of 73.9 and an ICSEA of 1135. 0 of the top 24 are government schools and 24 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1074.
The top 10 private high schools in Gold Coast for 2025 are: 1. St Hilda's School (Southport); 2. The Southport School (Southport); 3. Somerset College (Mudgeeraba); 4. All Saints Anglican School (Merrimac); 5. A B Paterson College (Arundel); 6. Emmanuel College (Carrara); 7. Marymount College (Burleigh Waters); 8. Saint Stephen's College (Coomera); 9. Hillcrest Christian College (Reedy Creek); 10. Silkwood School (Mount Nathan).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private secondary school in Gold Coast?
St Hilda's School in Southport ranks first among private high schools in Gold Coast with a Success Index of 73.9 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1135.
How are private high schools in Gold Coast 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 Gold Coast?
0 of the top 24 private high schools in Gold Coast are government schools; 24 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.