Top 16 independent schools in Northern Territory (2025)
Independent (non-government, non-Catholic-system) schools. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 16 schools shown out of all eligible independent schools in Northern Territory.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic 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
- 175Haileybury Rendall SchoolBerrimah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1082 · 970 students
- 271The Essington SchoolRapid Creek · Independent CombinedICSEA 1128 · 782 students
- 369Alice Springs Steiner SchoolRoss · Independent CombinedICSEA 1085 · 162 students
- 461St Philip's CollegeAlice Springs · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1031 · 502 students
- 561Milkwood Steiner SchoolBerrimah · Independent CombinedICSEA 1053 · 118 students
- 657Nhulunbuy Christian CollegeNhulunbuy · Independent CombinedICSEA 1056 · 138 students
- 755Living Waters Lutheran SchoolAlice Springs · Independent PrimaryICSEA 1029 · 131 students
- 850NT Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent SecondaryICSEA 987 · 93 students
- 947Good Shepherd Lutheran CollegeHoward Springs · Independent CombinedICSEA 1025 · 1,117 students
- 1044SEDA College NTFannie Bay · Independent SecondaryICSEA 980 · 150 students
- 1140Sattler Christian CollegeFreds Pass · Independent CombinedICSEA 997 · 245 students
- 1239Araluen Christian CollegeAlice Springs · Independent CombinedICSEA 997 · 104 students
- 1337Palmerston Christian CollegeMarlow Lagoon · Independent CombinedICSEA 1008 · 365 students
- 1432Yipirinya SchoolAlice Springs · Independent CombinedICSEA 729 · 186 students
- 1528Marrara Christian CollegeMarrara · Independent CombinedICSEA 962 · 289 students
- 1624Yirara CollegeAlice Springs · Independent SecondaryICSEA 654 · 190 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haileybury Rendall School Berrimah · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 75.0 Top 25% | 1082 | 970 | 10.6 |
| 2 | The Essington School Rapid Creek · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 71.1 Top 25% | 1128 | 782 | 12.2 |
| 3 | Alice Springs Steiner School Ross · Combined · T-9 | Independent | 68.5 Top 25% | 1085 | 162 | 10.6 |
| 4 | St Philip's College Alice Springs · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 61.3 Top 50% | 1031 | 502 | 10.5 |
| 5 | Milkwood Steiner School Berrimah · Combined · T-8 | Independent | 61.0 Top 50% | 1053 | 118 | 8.1 |
| 6 | Nhulunbuy Christian College Nhulunbuy · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 56.5 Top 50% | 1056 | 138 | 11.2 |
| 7 | Living Waters Lutheran School Alice Springs · Primary · T-6 | Independent | 54.9 Top 50% | 1029 | 131 | 14.9 |
| 8 | NT Christian College Marrara · Secondary · 11-12 | Independent | 50.0 Lower 50% | 987 | 93 | 8.9 |
| 9 | Good Shepherd Lutheran College Howard Springs · Combined · T-12 | Independent | 46.8 Lower 50% | 1025 | 1,117 | 12.4 |
| 10 | SEDA College NT Fannie Bay · Secondary · 10-12 | Independent | 43.9 Lower 50% | 980 | 150 | 13.2 |
| 11 | Sattler Christian College Freds Pass · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 39.6 Lower 50% | 997 | 245 | 15.5 |
| 12 | Araluen Christian College Alice Springs · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 39.4 Lower 50% | 997 | 104 | 16.3 |
| 13 | Palmerston Christian College Marlow Lagoon · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 36.7 Lower 50% | 1008 | 365 | 15.0 |
| 14 | Yipirinya School Alice Springs · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 32.0 Lower 50% | 729 | 186 | 11.2 |
| 15 | Marrara Christian College Marrara · Combined · T-10 | Independent | 28.2 Lower 50% | 962 | 289 | 12.8 |
| 16 | Yirara College Alice Springs · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 24.3 Lower 50% | 654 | 190 | 10.8 |
There are 16 independent schools in Northern Territory eligible for this list; the top 16 are shown. Haileybury Rendall School in Berrimah is ranked first with a Success Index of 75.0 and an ICSEA of 1082. 0 of the top 16 are government schools and 16 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1017.
The top 10 independent schools in Northern Territory for 2025 are: 1. Haileybury Rendall School (Berrimah); 2. The Essington School (Rapid Creek); 3. Alice Springs Steiner School (Ross); 4. St Philip's College (Alice Springs); 5. Milkwood Steiner School (Berrimah); 6. Nhulunbuy Christian College (Nhulunbuy); 7. Living Waters Lutheran School (Alice Springs); 8. NT Christian College (Marrara); 9. Good Shepherd Lutheran College (Howard Springs); 10. SEDA College NT (Fannie Bay).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best independent school in Northern Territory?
Haileybury Rendall School in Berrimah ranks first among independent schools in Northern Territory with a Success Index of 75.0 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1082.
How are independent schools in Northern Territory 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 independent schools in Northern Territory?
0 of the top 16 independent schools in Northern Territory 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.