Top 20 public high schools in Newcastle (2025)
Government schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 20 schools shown out of all eligible public high schools in Newcastle.
- 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
- 175Merewether High SchoolBroadmeadow · Government SecondaryICSEA 1206 · 1,080 students
- 267Kotara High SchoolAdamstown · Government SecondaryICSEA 1066 · 1,130 students
- 367Lambton High SchoolLambton · Government SecondaryICSEA 1057 · 1,176 students
- 462Warners Bay High SchoolWarners Bay · Government SecondaryICSEA 1056 · 1,161 students
- 561Newcastle High SchoolHamilton · Government SecondaryICSEA 1027 · 1,072 students
- 658Hunter School of Performing ArtsBroadmeadow · Government CombinedICSEA 1085 · 1,094 students
- 755Whitebridge High SchoolWhitebridge · Government SecondaryICSEA 1022 · 915 students
- 852Cardiff High SchoolCardiff · Government SecondaryICSEA 986 · 778 students
- 952Callaghan College Jesmond Senior CampusJesmond · Government SecondaryICSEA 980 · 659 students
- 1047Hunter Sports High SchoolGateshead · Government SecondaryICSEA 955 · 941 students
- 1146Belmont High SchoolBelmont · Government SecondaryICSEA 973 · 812 students
- 1246Swansea High SchoolCaves Beach · Government SecondaryICSEA 972 · 710 students
- 1343Callaghan College Waratah CampusWaratah · Government SecondaryICSEA 957 · 848 students
- 1441Lake Macquarie High SchoolBooragul · Government SecondaryICSEA 925 · 435 students
- 1538Toronto High SchoolToronto · Government SecondaryICSEA 961 · 952 students
- 1638Glendale Technology High SchoolGlendale · Government SecondaryICSEA 946 · 802 students
- 1735West Wallsend High SchoolWest Wallsend · Government SecondaryICSEA 940 · 632 students
- 1834Callaghan College Wallsend CampusWallsend · Government SecondaryICSEA 952 · 890 students
- 1930Morisset High SchoolMorisset · Government SecondaryICSEA 929 · 687 students
- 2025Francis Greenway High SchoolBeresfield · Government SecondaryICSEA 912 · 742 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merewether High School Broadmeadow · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 75.1 Top 25% | 1206 | 1,080 | 14.8 |
| 2 | Kotara High School Adamstown · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 67.4 Top 25% | 1066 | 1,130 | 13.2 |
| 3 | Lambton High School Lambton · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 67.1 Top 25% | 1057 | 1,176 | 13.0 |
| 4 | Warners Bay High School Warners Bay · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 62.1 Top 50% | 1056 | 1,161 | 14.0 |
| 5 | Newcastle High School Hamilton · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 60.6 Top 50% | 1027 | 1,072 | 11.3 |
| 6 | Hunter School of Performing Arts Broadmeadow · Combined · K-12 | Government | 58.3 Top 50% | 1085 | 1,094 | 14.3 |
| 7 | Whitebridge High School Whitebridge · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 54.9 Top 50% | 1022 | 915 | 12.5 |
| 8 | Cardiff High School Cardiff · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 52.2 Top 50% | 986 | 778 | 11.7 |
| 9 | Callaghan College Jesmond Senior Campus Jesmond · Secondary · 11-12 | Government | 52.1 Top 50% | 980 | 659 | 9.9 |
| 10 | Hunter Sports High School Gateshead · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 47.0 Lower 50% | 955 | 941 | 12.0 |
| 11 | Belmont High School Belmont · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 45.9 Lower 50% | 973 | 812 | 11.9 |
| 12 | Swansea High School Caves Beach · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 45.9 Lower 50% | 972 | 710 | 11.2 |
| 13 | Callaghan College Waratah Campus Waratah · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 43.2 Lower 50% | 957 | 848 | 12.1 |
| 14 | Lake Macquarie High School Booragul · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 40.9 Lower 50% | 925 | 435 | 8.2 |
| 15 | Toronto High School Toronto · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 38.1 Lower 50% | 961 | 952 | 12.1 |
| 16 | Glendale Technology High School Glendale · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 38.0 Lower 50% | 946 | 802 | 11.4 |
| 17 | West Wallsend High School West Wallsend · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 35.0 Lower 50% | 940 | 632 | 10.8 |
| 18 | Callaghan College Wallsend Campus Wallsend · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 33.9 Lower 50% | 952 | 890 | 11.7 |
| 19 | Morisset High School Morisset · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 29.9 Lower 50% | 929 | 687 | 10.3 |
| 20 | Francis Greenway High School Beresfield · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 25.0 Lower 50% | 912 | 742 | 11.0 |
There are 20 public high schools in Newcastle eligible for this list; the top 20 are shown. Merewether High School in Broadmeadow is ranked first with a Success Index of 75.1 and an ICSEA of 1206. 20 of the top 20 are government schools and 0 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 973.
The top 10 public high schools in Newcastle for 2025 are: 1. Merewether High School (Broadmeadow); 2. Kotara High School (Adamstown); 3. Lambton High School (Lambton); 4. Warners Bay High School (Warners Bay); 5. Newcastle High School (Hamilton); 6. Hunter School of Performing Arts (Broadmeadow); 7. Whitebridge High School (Whitebridge); 8. Cardiff High School (Cardiff); 9. Callaghan College Jesmond Senior Campus (Jesmond); 10. Hunter Sports High School (Gateshead).
Download this table as CSV · free to reuse with attribution to ACARA and Success Tutoring
Free academic assessment
Aiming for a top public secondary school?
Entry to high-demand schools, selective streams and scholarships rewards strong fundamentals. A free assessment shows where your child stands today and what to work on.
- Personalised learning plan mapped to the Australian Curriculum
- English & Maths from Kindergarten to Year 12
- Flexible memberships, no lock-in contracts
- Centres across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA and ACT
Frequently asked questions
What is the best public secondary school in Newcastle?
Merewether High School in Broadmeadow ranks first among public high schools in Newcastle with a Success Index of 75.1 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1206.
How are public 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 public high schools in Newcastle?
20 of the top 20 public high schools in Newcastle 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.