Top 16 private high schools in Newcastle (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 16 schools shown out of all eligible private high schools in Newcastle.
- 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
- 188Newcastle Grammar SchoolThe Hill · Independent CombinedICSEA 1181 · 1,049 students
- 285St Francis Xavier's CollegeHamilton · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1096 · 959 students
- 374St Philip's Christian College - WaratahWaratah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1138 · 1,466 students
- 473St Mary's Catholic CollegeGateshead · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1062 · 989 students
- 570Trinity Catholic CollegeAdamstown · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1090 · 849 students
- 667Bishop Tyrrell Anglican CollegeFletcher · Independent CombinedICSEA 1085 · 860 students
- 766Belmont Christian CollegeBelmont North · Independent CombinedICSEA 1091 · 907 students
- 866San Clemente Catholic CollegeMayfield · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1038 · 605 students
- 961Newcastle Waldorf SchoolGlendale · Independent CombinedICSEA 1072 · 237 students
- 1059Macquarie CollegeWallsend · Independent CombinedICSEA 1110 · 1,060 students
- 1159St Paul's Catholic CollegeBooragul · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1026 · 636 students
- 1257Hunter Christian SchoolMayfield · Independent CombinedICSEA 1061 · 337 students
- 1352Charlton Christian CollegeFassifern · Independent CombinedICSEA 1063 · 831 students
- 1448Avondale SchoolCooranbong · Independent CombinedICSEA 1055 · 977 students
- 1546Brightwaters Christian CollegeBrightwaters · Independent CombinedICSEA 1001 · 106 students
- 1640Heritage College Lake MacquarieMorisset · Independent CombinedICSEA 1002 · 511 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle Grammar School The Hill · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 87.8 Top 5% | 1181 | 1,049 | 10.7 |
| 2 | St Francis Xavier's College Hamilton · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 84.6 Top 5% | 1096 | 959 | 10.5 |
| 3 | St Philip's Christian College - Waratah Waratah · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 74.4 Top 25% | 1138 | 1,466 | 12.9 |
| 4 | St Mary's Catholic College Gateshead · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 73.0 Top 25% | 1062 | 989 | 12.0 |
| 5 | Trinity Catholic College Adamstown · Secondary · 7-11 | Catholic | 69.6 Top 25% | 1090 | 849 | 11.6 |
| 6 | Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College Fletcher · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 67.4 Top 25% | 1085 | 860 | 13.0 |
| 7 | Belmont Christian College Belmont North · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 65.8 Top 25% | 1091 | 907 | 12.9 |
| 8 | San Clemente Catholic College Mayfield · Secondary · 7-10 | Catholic | 65.5 Top 50% | 1038 | 605 | 11.3 |
| 9 | Newcastle Waldorf School Glendale · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 60.9 Top 50% | 1072 | 237 | 10.5 |
| 10 | Macquarie College Wallsend · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 59.3 Top 50% | 1110 | 1,060 | 14.3 |
| 11 | St Paul's Catholic College Booragul · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 58.8 Top 50% | 1026 | 636 | 9.9 |
| 12 | Hunter Christian School Mayfield · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 57.2 Top 50% | 1061 | 337 | 12.4 |
| 13 | Charlton Christian College Fassifern · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 51.7 Top 50% | 1063 | 831 | 15.1 |
| 14 | Avondale School Cooranbong · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 48.3 Top 50% | 1055 | 977 | 14.5 |
| 15 | Brightwaters Christian College Brightwaters · Combined · K-10 | Independent | 46.2 Lower 50% | 1001 | 106 | 10.2 |
| 16 | Heritage College Lake Macquarie Morisset · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 40.4 Lower 50% | 1002 | 511 | 12.7 |
There are 16 private high schools in Newcastle eligible for this list; the top 16 are shown. Newcastle Grammar School in The Hill is ranked first with a Success Index of 87.8 and an ICSEA of 1181. 0 of the top 16 are government schools and 16 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1068.
The top 10 private high schools in Newcastle for 2025 are: 1. Newcastle Grammar School (The Hill); 2. St Francis Xavier's College (Hamilton); 3. St Philip's Christian College - Waratah (Waratah); 4. St Mary's Catholic College (Gateshead); 5. Trinity Catholic College (Adamstown); 6. Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College (Fletcher); 7. Belmont Christian College (Belmont North); 8. San Clemente Catholic College (Mayfield); 9. Newcastle Waldorf School (Glendale); 10. Macquarie College (Wallsend).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private secondary school in Newcastle?
Newcastle Grammar School in The Hill ranks first among private high schools in Newcastle with a Success Index of 87.8 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1181.
How are private high schools in Newcastle 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 Newcastle?
0 of the top 16 private high schools in Newcastle are government schools; 16 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.