Top 18 private schools in Mackay (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools across all year levels. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 18 schools shown out of all eligible private schools in Mackay.
- 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
- 167Whitsunday Anglican SchoolBeaconsfield · Independent CombinedICSEA 1102 · 1,151 students
- 260Catherine McAuley CollegeMackay · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1026 · 606 students
- 358St Patrick's CollegeMackay · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1009 · 1,394 students
- 457St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolMackay South · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1050 · 384 students
- 555Holy Spirit CollegeMount Pleasant · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1023 · 1,139 students
- 650St Brendan's Catholic Primary SchoolMackay · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1018 · 439 students
- 749St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolNorth Mackay · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1016 · 349 students
- 846St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary SchoolMackay West · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1031 · 569 students
- 946Emmanuel Catholic Primary SchoolMount Pleasant · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1025 · 597 students
- 1044St Catherine's Catholic College The WhitsundaysProserpine · Catholic CombinedICSEA 1017 · 725 students
- 1143St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolClermont · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 986 · 165 students
- 1242Carlisle Adventist CollegeBeaconsfield · Independent CombinedICSEA 990 · 281 students
- 1342St Mary's Catholic SchoolBowen · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 967 · 146 students
- 1440St John's Catholic Primary SchoolWalkerston · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1003 · 349 students
- 1540Whitsunday Christian CollegeCannonvale · Independent CombinedICSEA 1015 · 421 students
- 1640Mackay Christian CollegeNorth Mackay · Independent CombinedICSEA 1000 · 879 students
- 1740MacKillop Catholic Primary SchoolAndergrove · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 990 · 149 students
- 1834St Anne's Catholic Primary SchoolSarina · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 962 · 162 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitsunday Anglican School Beaconsfield · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 66.8 Top 25% | 1102 | 1,151 | 13.2 |
| 2 | Catherine McAuley College Mackay · Secondary · 7-10 | Catholic | 60.1 Top 50% | 1026 | 606 | 11.8 |
| 3 | St Patrick's College Mackay · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 58.1 Top 50% | 1009 | 1,394 | 11.3 |
| 4 | St Mary's Catholic Primary School Mackay South · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 57.1 Top 50% | 1050 | 384 | 16.6 |
| 5 | Holy Spirit College Mount Pleasant · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 54.6 Top 50% | 1023 | 1,139 | 13.2 |
| 6 | St Brendan's Catholic Primary School Mackay · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 50.1 Top 50% | 1018 | 439 | 17.3 |
| 7 | St Joseph's Catholic Primary School North Mackay · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 49.2 Top 50% | 1016 | 349 | 16.8 |
| 8 | St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School Mackay West · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 46.4 Lower 50% | 1031 | 569 | 18.8 |
| 9 | Emmanuel Catholic Primary School Mount Pleasant · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 45.7 Lower 50% | 1025 | 597 | 18.8 |
| 10 | St Catherine's Catholic College The Whitsundays Proserpine · Combined · Prep-12 | Catholic | 43.7 Lower 50% | 1017 | 725 | 13.8 |
| 11 | St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Clermont · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 43.4 Lower 50% | 986 | 165 | 13.5 |
| 12 | Carlisle Adventist College Beaconsfield · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 41.9 Lower 50% | 990 | 281 | 11.6 |
| 13 | St Mary's Catholic School Bowen · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 41.5 Lower 50% | 967 | 146 | 12.8 |
| 14 | St John's Catholic Primary School Walkerston · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 40.2 Lower 50% | 1003 | 349 | 17.9 |
| 15 | Whitsunday Christian College Cannonvale · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 40.1 Lower 50% | 1015 | 421 | 14.3 |
| 16 | Mackay Christian College North Mackay · Combined · Prep-12 | Independent | 39.5 Lower 50% | 1000 | 879 | 13.8 |
| 17 | MacKillop Catholic Primary School Andergrove · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 39.5 Lower 50% | 990 | 149 | 13.2 |
| 18 | St Anne's Catholic Primary School Sarina · Primary · Prep-6 | Catholic | 33.5 Lower 50% | 962 | 162 | 12.1 |
There are 18 private schools in Mackay eligible for this list; the top 18 are shown. Whitsunday Anglican School in Beaconsfield is ranked first with a Success Index of 66.8 and an ICSEA of 1102. 0 of the top 18 are government schools and 18 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1016.
The top 10 private schools in Mackay for 2025 are: 1. Whitsunday Anglican School (Beaconsfield); 2. Catherine McAuley College (Mackay); 3. St Patrick's College (Mackay); 4. St Mary's Catholic Primary School (Mackay South); 5. Holy Spirit College (Mount Pleasant); 6. St Brendan's Catholic Primary School (Mackay); 7. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (North Mackay); 8. St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School (Mackay West); 9. Emmanuel Catholic Primary School (Mount Pleasant); 10. St Catherine's Catholic College The Whitsundays (Proserpine).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private school in Mackay?
Whitsunday Anglican School in Beaconsfield ranks first among private schools in Mackay with a Success Index of 66.8 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1102.
How are private schools in Mackay 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 Mackay?
0 of the top 18 private schools in Mackay are government schools; 18 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.