Top 15 public high schools in Sunshine Coast (2025)
Government schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 15 schools shown out of all eligible public high schools in Sunshine Coast.
- 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
- 163Coolum State High SchoolCoolum Beach · Government SecondaryICSEA 1040 · 1,551 students
- 262Sunshine Beach State High SchoolSunshine Beach · Government SecondaryICSEA 1043 · 1,405 students
- 362Palmview State Secondary CollegePalmview · Government SecondaryICSEA 1021 · 379 students
- 460Mountain Creek State High SchoolMountain Creek · Government SecondaryICSEA 1043 · 2,091 students
- 556Maleny State High SchoolMaleny · Government SecondaryICSEA 1029 · 647 students
- 655Baringa State Secondary CollegeBaringa · Government SecondaryICSEA 1007 · 677 students
- 755Kawana Waters State CollegeBokarina · Government CombinedICSEA 1034 · 2,495 students
- 855Maroochydore State High SchoolMaroochydore · Government SecondaryICSEA 1011 · 1,205 students
- 954Noosa District State High SchoolCooroy · Government SecondaryICSEA 1012 · 882 students
- 1050Caloundra State High SchoolCaloundra · Government SecondaryICSEA 1004 · 1,316 students
- 1148Burnside State High SchoolBurnside · Government SecondaryICSEA 988 · 809 students
- 1247Chancellor State CollegeSippy Downs · Government CombinedICSEA 1042 · 2,609 students
- 1341Beerwah State High SchoolBeerwah · Government SecondaryICSEA 970 · 855 students
- 1439Meridan State CollegeMeridan Plains · Government CombinedICSEA 1013 · 1,795 students
- 1535Nambour State CollegeNambour · Government CombinedICSEA 977 · 1,469 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coolum State High School Coolum Beach · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 62.9 Top 50% | 1040 | 1,551 | 13.3 |
| 2 | Sunshine Beach State High School Sunshine Beach · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 62.2 Top 50% | 1043 | 1,405 | 11.6 |
| 3 | Palmview State Secondary College Palmview · Secondary · 7-10 | Government | 62.0 Top 50% | 1021 | 379 | 10.1 |
| 4 | Mountain Creek State High School Mountain Creek · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 59.5 Top 50% | 1043 | 2,091 | 13.0 |
| 5 | Maleny State High School Maleny · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 56.2 Top 50% | 1029 | 647 | 11.5 |
| 6 | Baringa State Secondary College Baringa · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 55.4 Top 50% | 1007 | 677 | 11.1 |
| 7 | Kawana Waters State College Bokarina · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 55.1 Top 50% | 1034 | 2,495 | 12.4 |
| 8 | Maroochydore State High School Maroochydore · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 54.7 Top 50% | 1011 | 1,205 | 12.1 |
| 9 | Noosa District State High School Cooroy · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 53.9 Top 50% | 1012 | 882 | 10.1 |
| 10 | Caloundra State High School Caloundra · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 50.3 Top 50% | 1004 | 1,316 | 11.7 |
| 11 | Burnside State High School Burnside · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 48.2 Lower 50% | 988 | 809 | 10.0 |
| 12 | Chancellor State College Sippy Downs · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 46.5 Lower 50% | 1042 | 2,609 | 13.0 |
| 13 | Beerwah State High School Beerwah · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 41.1 Lower 50% | 970 | 855 | 10.7 |
| 14 | Meridan State College Meridan Plains · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 38.5 Lower 50% | 1013 | 1,795 | 12.3 |
| 15 | Nambour State College Nambour · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 35.0 Lower 50% | 977 | 1,469 | 10.4 |
There are 15 public high schools in Sunshine Coast eligible for this list; the top 15 are shown. Coolum State High School in Coolum Beach is ranked first with a Success Index of 62.9 and an ICSEA of 1040. 15 of the top 15 are government schools and 0 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1013.
The top 10 public high schools in Sunshine Coast for 2025 are: 1. Coolum State High School (Coolum Beach); 2. Sunshine Beach State High School (Sunshine Beach); 3. Palmview State Secondary College (Palmview); 4. Mountain Creek State High School (Mountain Creek); 5. Maleny State High School (Maleny); 6. Baringa State Secondary College (Baringa); 7. Kawana Waters State College (Bokarina); 8. Maroochydore State High School (Maroochydore); 9. Noosa District State High School (Cooroy); 10. Caloundra State High School (Caloundra).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best public secondary school in Sunshine Coast?
Coolum State High School in Coolum Beach ranks first among public high schools in Sunshine Coast with a Success Index of 62.9 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1040.
How are public high schools in Sunshine 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 public high schools in Sunshine Coast?
15 of the top 15 public high schools in Sunshine Coast 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.