Top 29 high schools in Wollongong (2025)
Schools offering secondary years (Secondary and Combined schools). Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 29 schools shown out of all eligible high schools in Wollongong.
- Primary Schools
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Independent 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
- 180The Illawarra Grammar SchoolWollongong West · Independent CombinedICSEA 1159 · 970 students
- 277St Mary Star of the Sea CollegeWollongong · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1104 · 1,128 students
- 374Smiths Hill High SchoolWollongong · Government SecondaryICSEA 1186 · 736 students
- 469Elonera Montessori SchoolMount Ousley · Independent CombinedICSEA 1108 · 187 students
- 569Wollongong High School of the Performing ArtsFairy Meadow · Government SecondaryICSEA 1075 · 1,169 students
- 668Edmund Rice CollegeWest Wollongong · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1083 · 1,054 students
- 768Holy Spirit CollegeBellambi · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1069 · 1,249 students
- 866Bulli High SchoolBulli · Government SecondaryICSEA 1058 · 979 students
- 964Shellharbour Anglican CollegeDunmore · Independent CombinedICSEA 1099 · 981 students
- 1064Corpus Christi Catholic High SchoolOak Flats · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1045 · 1,126 students
- 1163St Joseph's Catholic High SchoolAlbion Park · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1029 · 736 students
- 1261Illawarra Christian SchoolCordeaux Heights · Independent CombinedICSEA 1091 · 800 students
- 1360Calderwood Christian SchoolAlbion Park · Independent CombinedICSEA 1056 · 504 students
- 1457Kiama High SchoolKiama · Government SecondaryICSEA 1036 · 761 students
- 1556Figtree High SchoolFigtree · Government SecondaryICSEA 1013 · 880 students
- 1656Cedars Christian CollegeUnanderra · Independent CombinedICSEA 1067 · 661 students
- 1755Woonona High SchoolWoonona · Government SecondaryICSEA 1030 · 767 students
- 1851Five Islands Secondary CollegePort Kembla · Government SecondaryICSEA 983 · 293 students
- 1947Corrimal High SchoolCorrimal · Government SecondaryICSEA 940 · 569 students
- 2043Keira High SchoolFairy Meadow · Government SecondaryICSEA 984 · 723 students
- 2139Illawarra Sports High SchoolBerkeley · Government SecondaryICSEA 937 · 926 students
- 2237Dapto High SchoolDapto · Government SecondaryICSEA 968 · 988 students
- 2336Albion Park High SchoolAlbion Park · Government SecondaryICSEA 964 · 900 students
- 2435Warrawong High SchoolWarrawong · Government SecondaryICSEA 905 · 591 students
- 2533Oak Flats High SchoolOak Flats · Government SecondaryICSEA 932 · 648 students
- 2632Warilla High SchoolBarrack Heights · Government SecondaryICSEA 968 · 1,020 students
- 2731OneSchool Global NSW - IllawarraMaddens Plains · Independent CombinedICSEA 973 · 159 students
- 2828Kanahooka High SchoolKanahooka · Government SecondaryICSEA 912 · 581 students
- 2925Lake Illawarra High SchoolLake Illawarra · Government SecondaryICSEA 894 · 542 students
| # | School | Sector | Success Index | ICSEA | Students | Students : teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Illawarra Grammar School Wollongong West · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 80.3 Top 10% | 1159 | 970 | 9.7 |
| 2 | St Mary Star of the Sea College Wollongong · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 77.3 Top 10% | 1104 | 1,128 | 12.3 |
| 3 | Smiths Hill High School Wollongong · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 74.4 Top 25% | 1186 | 736 | 13.4 |
| 4 | Elonera Montessori School Mount Ousley · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 68.8 Top 25% | 1108 | 187 | 9.8 |
| 5 | Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts Fairy Meadow · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 68.8 Top 25% | 1075 | 1,169 | 13.9 |
| 6 | Edmund Rice College West Wollongong · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 68.1 Top 25% | 1083 | 1,054 | 13.3 |
| 7 | Holy Spirit College Bellambi · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 67.8 Top 25% | 1069 | 1,249 | 13.0 |
| 8 | Bulli High School Bulli · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 66.1 Top 50% | 1058 | 979 | 13.3 |
| 9 | Shellharbour Anglican College Dunmore · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 63.9 Top 50% | 1099 | 981 | 14.5 |
| 10 | Corpus Christi Catholic High School Oak Flats · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 63.6 Top 50% | 1045 | 1,126 | 13.0 |
| 11 | St Joseph's Catholic High School Albion Park · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 62.5 Top 50% | 1029 | 736 | 11.9 |
| 12 | Illawarra Christian School Cordeaux Heights · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 60.9 Top 50% | 1091 | 800 | 13.6 |
| 13 | Calderwood Christian School Albion Park · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 60.3 Top 50% | 1056 | 504 | 12.9 |
| 14 | Kiama High School Kiama · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 57.2 Top 50% | 1036 | 761 | 12.2 |
| 15 | Figtree High School Figtree · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 56.1 Top 50% | 1013 | 880 | 11.4 |
| 16 | Cedars Christian College Unanderra · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 55.6 Top 50% | 1067 | 661 | 12.0 |
| 17 | Woonona High School Woonona · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 54.5 Top 50% | 1030 | 767 | 12.8 |
| 18 | Five Islands Secondary College Port Kembla · Secondary · 9-12 | Government | 51.2 Top 50% | 983 | 293 | 7.2 |
| 19 | Corrimal High School Corrimal · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 47.1 Lower 50% | 940 | 569 | 9.5 |
| 20 | Keira High School Fairy Meadow · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 43.3 Lower 50% | 984 | 723 | 10.7 |
| 21 | Illawarra Sports High School Berkeley · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 39.3 Lower 50% | 937 | 926 | 11.6 |
| 22 | Dapto High School Dapto · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 37.1 Lower 50% | 968 | 988 | 12.6 |
| 23 | Albion Park High School Albion Park · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 36.0 Lower 50% | 964 | 900 | 11.3 |
| 24 | Warrawong High School Warrawong · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 34.9 Lower 50% | 905 | 591 | 8.5 |
| 25 | Oak Flats High School Oak Flats · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 33.3 Lower 50% | 932 | 648 | 9.9 |
| 26 | Warilla High School Barrack Heights · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 32.0 Lower 50% | 968 | 1,020 | 13.2 |
| 27 | OneSchool Global NSW - Illawarra Maddens Plains · Combined · 3-12 | Independent | 31.1 Lower 50% | 973 | 159 | 9.9 |
| 28 | Kanahooka High School Kanahooka · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 27.6 Lower 50% | 912 | 581 | 9.0 |
| 29 | Lake Illawarra High School Lake Illawarra · Secondary · 7-12 | Government | 24.8 Lower 50% | 894 | 542 | 10.1 |
There are 29 high schools in Wollongong eligible for this list; the top 29 are shown. The Illawarra Grammar School in Wollongong West is ranked first with a Success Index of 80.3 and an ICSEA of 1159. 17 of the top 29 are government schools and 12 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1030.
The top 10 high schools in Wollongong for 2025 are: 1. The Illawarra Grammar School (Wollongong West); 2. St Mary Star of the Sea College (Wollongong); 3. Smiths Hill High School (Wollongong); 4. Elonera Montessori School (Mount Ousley); 5. Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts (Fairy Meadow); 6. Edmund Rice College (West Wollongong); 7. Holy Spirit College (Bellambi); 8. Bulli High School (Bulli); 9. Shellharbour Anglican College (Dunmore); 10. Corpus Christi Catholic High School (Oak Flats).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best secondary school in Wollongong?
The Illawarra Grammar School in Wollongong West ranks first among high schools in Wollongong with a Success Index of 80.3 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1159.
How are high schools in Wollongong 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 high schools in Wollongong?
17 of the top 29 high schools in Wollongong are government schools; 12 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.