Top 13 public high schools in Townsville (2025)
Government schools offering secondary years. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 13 schools shown out of all eligible public high schools in Townsville.
- 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
- 140Pimlico State High SchoolGulliver · Government SecondaryICSEA 987 · 1,465 students
- 237Ayr State High SchoolAyr · Government SecondaryICSEA 925 · 497 students
- 335William Ross State High SchoolAnnandale · Government SecondaryICSEA 955 · 862 students
- 433Ingham State High SchoolIngham · Government SecondaryICSEA 923 · 422 students
- 533Charters Towers School of Distance EducationMillchester · Government CombinedICSEA 948 · 2,395 students
- 631Bwgcolman Community SchoolPalm Island · Government CombinedICSEA 675 · 315 students
- 730Townsville State High SchoolRailway Estate · Government SecondaryICSEA 924 · 841 students
- 827Northern Beaches State High SchoolDeeragun · Government SecondaryICSEA 925 · 920 students
- 923Home Hill State High SchoolHome Hill · Government SecondaryICSEA 891 · 165 students
- 1019Heatley Secondary CollegeHeatley · Government SecondaryICSEA 862 · 715 students
- 1119Kirwan State High SchoolKirwan · Government SecondaryICSEA 919 · 1,922 students
- 1217Charters Towers State High SchoolCharters Towers City · Government SecondaryICSEA 879 · 303 students
- 1315Thuringowa State High SchoolCondon · Government SecondaryICSEA 842 · 659 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pimlico State High School Gulliver · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 39.9 Lower 50% | 987 | 1,465 | 12.3 |
| 2 | Ayr State High School Ayr · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 37.2 Lower 50% | 925 | 497 | 10.2 |
| 3 | William Ross State High School Annandale · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 34.6 Lower 50% | 955 | 862 | 11.4 |
| 4 | Ingham State High School Ingham · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 33.0 Lower 50% | 923 | 422 | 9.5 |
| 5 | Charters Towers School of Distance Education Millchester · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 32.8 Lower 50% | 948 | 2,395 | 11.5 |
| 6 | Bwgcolman Community School Palm Island · Combined · Prep-12 | Government | 30.7 Lower 50% | 675 | 315 | 10.1 |
| 7 | Townsville State High School Railway Estate · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 29.6 Lower 50% | 924 | 841 | 10.9 |
| 8 | Northern Beaches State High School Deeragun · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 27.1 Lower 50% | 925 | 920 | 11.7 |
| 9 | Home Hill State High School Home Hill · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 23.1 Lower 50% | 891 | 165 | 8.1 |
| 10 | Heatley Secondary College Heatley · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 18.6 Lower 50% | 862 | 715 | 11.0 |
| 11 | Kirwan State High School Kirwan · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 18.5 Lower 50% | 919 | 1,922 | 14.0 |
| 12 | Charters Towers State High School Charters Towers City · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 17.2 Lower 50% | 879 | 303 | 9.4 |
| 13 | Thuringowa State High School Condon · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 15.3 Lower 50% | 842 | 659 | 11.3 |
There are 13 public high schools in Townsville eligible for this list; the top 13 are shown. Pimlico State High School in Gulliver is ranked first with a Success Index of 39.9 and an ICSEA of 987. 13 of the top 13 are government schools and 0 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 923.
The top 10 public high schools in Townsville for 2025 are: 1. Pimlico State High School (Gulliver); 2. Ayr State High School (Ayr); 3. William Ross State High School (Annandale); 4. Ingham State High School (Ingham); 5. Charters Towers School of Distance Education (Millchester); 6. Bwgcolman Community School (Palm Island); 7. Townsville State High School (Railway Estate); 8. Northern Beaches State High School (Deeragun); 9. Home Hill State High School (Home Hill); 10. Heatley Secondary College (Heatley).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best public secondary school in Townsville?
Pimlico State High School in Gulliver ranks first among public high schools in Townsville with a Success Index of 39.9 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 987.
How are public high schools in Townsville 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 Townsville?
13 of the top 13 public high schools in Townsville 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.