Top 27 private schools in Wollongong (2025)
Independent and Catholic schools across all year levels. Ranked by the Success Index from official ACARA data; 27 schools shown out of all eligible private schools in Wollongong.
- Primary Schools
- High Schools
- Public 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
- 278St Michael's Catholic Primary SchoolThirroul · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1130 · 183 students
- 377St Mary Star of the Sea CollegeWollongong · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1104 · 1,128 students
- 474St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolBulli · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1121 · 412 students
- 574Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary SchoolKiama · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1104 · 363 students
- 670St Therese Catholic Primary SchoolMangerton · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1090 · 368 students
- 769Elonera Montessori SchoolMount Ousley · Independent CombinedICSEA 1108 · 187 students
- 869Holy Cross Catholic Primary SchoolHelensburgh · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1071 · 184 students
- 968Edmund Rice CollegeWest Wollongong · Independent SecondaryICSEA 1083 · 1,054 students
- 1068Holy Spirit CollegeBellambi · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1069 · 1,249 students
- 1166St Brigid's Catholic Primary SchoolGwynneville · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1083 · 175 students
- 1265St Pius X Catholic Primary SchoolUnanderra · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1066 · 371 students
- 1364Stella Maris Catholic Primary SchoolShellharbour · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1050 · 405 students
- 1464Shellharbour Anglican CollegeDunmore · Independent CombinedICSEA 1099 · 981 students
- 1564Corpus Christi Catholic High SchoolOak Flats · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1045 · 1,126 students
- 1664St Patrick's Catholic Primary SchoolPort Kembla · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1058 · 177 students
- 1763Good Samaritan Catholic Primary SchoolFairy Meadow · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1081 · 335 students
- 1863Nazareth Catholic Primary SchoolShellharbour City · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1052 · 413 students
- 1963St Joseph's Catholic High SchoolAlbion Park · Catholic SecondaryICSEA 1029 · 736 students
- 2061Illawarra Christian SchoolCordeaux Heights · Independent CombinedICSEA 1091 · 800 students
- 2161St Columbkille's Catholic Primary SchoolCorrimal · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1073 · 339 students
- 2260Calderwood Christian SchoolAlbion Park · Independent CombinedICSEA 1056 · 504 students
- 2358St John's Catholic Primary SchoolDapto · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1038 · 623 students
- 2456Cedars Christian CollegeUnanderra · Independent CombinedICSEA 1067 · 661 students
- 2555St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolAlbion Park · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1037 · 399 students
- 2650St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary SchoolWarrawong · Catholic PrimaryICSEA 1013 · 149 students
- 2731OneSchool Global NSW - IllawarraMaddens Plains · Independent CombinedICSEA 973 · 159 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 Michael's Catholic Primary School Thirroul · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 78.4 Top 10% | 1130 | 183 | 14.4 |
| 3 | St Mary Star of the Sea College Wollongong · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 77.3 Top 10% | 1104 | 1,128 | 12.3 |
| 4 | St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Bulli · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 73.8 Top 25% | 1121 | 412 | 16.3 |
| 5 | Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School Kiama · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 73.5 Top 25% | 1104 | 363 | 17.2 |
| 6 | St Therese Catholic Primary School Mangerton · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 70.4 Top 25% | 1090 | 368 | 16.7 |
| 7 | Elonera Montessori School Mount Ousley · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 68.8 Top 25% | 1108 | 187 | 9.8 |
| 8 | Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Helensburgh · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 68.6 Top 25% | 1071 | 184 | 15.2 |
| 9 | Edmund Rice College West Wollongong · Secondary · 7-12 | Independent | 68.1 Top 25% | 1083 | 1,054 | 13.3 |
| 10 | Holy Spirit College Bellambi · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 67.8 Top 25% | 1069 | 1,249 | 13.0 |
| 11 | St Brigid's Catholic Primary School Gwynneville · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 66.0 Top 25% | 1083 | 175 | 15.1 |
| 12 | St Pius X Catholic Primary School Unanderra · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 64.8 Top 50% | 1066 | 371 | 17.3 |
| 13 | Stella Maris Catholic Primary School Shellharbour · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 64.0 Top 50% | 1050 | 405 | 15.5 |
| 14 | Shellharbour Anglican College Dunmore · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 63.9 Top 50% | 1099 | 981 | 14.5 |
| 15 | Corpus Christi Catholic High School Oak Flats · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 63.6 Top 50% | 1045 | 1,126 | 13.0 |
| 16 | St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Port Kembla · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 63.5 Top 50% | 1058 | 177 | 15.4 |
| 17 | Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School Fairy Meadow · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 63.0 Top 50% | 1081 | 335 | 14.9 |
| 18 | Nazareth Catholic Primary School Shellharbour City · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 62.6 Top 50% | 1052 | 413 | 16.8 |
| 19 | St Joseph's Catholic High School Albion Park · Secondary · 7-12 | Catholic | 62.5 Top 50% | 1029 | 736 | 11.9 |
| 20 | Illawarra Christian School Cordeaux Heights · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 60.9 Top 50% | 1091 | 800 | 13.6 |
| 21 | St Columbkille's Catholic Primary School Corrimal · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 60.7 Top 50% | 1073 | 339 | 17.8 |
| 22 | Calderwood Christian School Albion Park · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 60.3 Top 50% | 1056 | 504 | 12.9 |
| 23 | St John's Catholic Primary School Dapto · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 58.4 Top 50% | 1038 | 623 | 15.7 |
| 24 | Cedars Christian College Unanderra · Combined · K-12 | Independent | 55.6 Top 50% | 1067 | 661 | 12.0 |
| 25 | St Paul's Catholic Primary School Albion Park · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 54.8 Top 50% | 1037 | 399 | 16.8 |
| 26 | St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School Warrawong · Primary · K-6 | Catholic | 50.0 Top 50% | 1013 | 149 | 15.1 |
| 27 | OneSchool Global NSW - Illawarra Maddens Plains · Combined · 3-12 | Independent | 31.1 Lower 50% | 973 | 159 | 9.9 |
There are 27 private schools in Wollongong eligible for this list; the top 27 are shown. The Illawarra Grammar School in Wollongong West is ranked first with a Success Index of 80.3 and an ICSEA of 1159. 0 of the top 27 are government schools and 27 are Catholic or independent; the median ICSEA across the list is 1071.
The top 10 private schools in Wollongong for 2025 are: 1. The Illawarra Grammar School (Wollongong West); 2. St Michael's Catholic Primary School (Thirroul); 3. St Mary Star of the Sea College (Wollongong); 4. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Bulli); 5. Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School (Kiama); 6. St Therese Catholic Primary School (Mangerton); 7. Elonera Montessori School (Mount Ousley); 8. Holy Cross Catholic Primary School (Helensburgh); 9. Edmund Rice College (West Wollongong); 10. Holy Spirit College (Bellambi).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best private school in Wollongong?
The Illawarra Grammar School in Wollongong West ranks first among private schools in Wollongong with a Success Index of 80.3 out of 100 and an ICSEA of 1159.
How are private 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 private schools in Wollongong?
0 of the top 27 private schools in Wollongong are government schools; 27 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.