Biala Special School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Ballina, New South Wales 2478 · Ballina LGA
About Biala Special School
Biala Special School is an independent special school located in Ballina, New South Wales (2478), within the Ballina local government area. It caters for students from U and in 2025 enrolled 33 students (11 girls and 22 boys). The school is affiliated with Independent Schools NSW.
Biala Special School has an ICSEA value of 898, indicating a community facing significant socio-educational disadvantage. That places it in the 10th percentile of Australian schools. 10% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 54% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 7 teachers (6.7 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 4.9 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 14% over the past five years.
Biala Special School is a special school. Special schools support students with disability or specific needs and are deliberately excluded from the Success Index and rankings, which would not be a fair measure of what they do.
Student profile
Distribution of students across socio-educational advantage (SEA) quarters, plus community characteristics.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Biala Special School have changed over the past decade.
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Schools near Biala Special School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Ballina Coast High School
Ballina · Government high school · 7-12
722 students · ICSEA 952 · 637 m away
St Francis Xavier Primary School
Ballina · Catholic primary · K-6
398 students · ICSEA 1045 · 788 m away
Ballina Public School
Ballina · Government primary · K-6
254 students · ICSEA 869 · 929 m away
Richmond Christian College
Ballina · Independent combined · K-12
327 students · ICSEA 1069 · 2.3 km away
Southern Cross School of Distance Education
East Ballina · Government combined · K-12
79 students · ICSEA 896 · 2.6 km away
Southern Cross Public School
East Ballina · Government primary · K-6
388 students · ICSEA 1053 · 2.7 km away
Emmanuel Anglican College
Ballina · Independent combined · K-12
878 students · ICSEA 1113 · 3.1 km away
Xavier Catholic College Ballina
Skennars Head · Catholic high school · 7-12
884 students · ICSEA 1081 · 4.9 km away
Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Skennars Head · Catholic primary · K-6
446 students · ICSEA 1102 · 5.2 km away
Lennox Head Public School
Lennox Head · Government primary · K-6
424 students · ICSEA 1064 · 8.0 km away
Similar schools
Independent special schools in NSW with a comparable ICSEA.
Ngaruki Gulgul
Kariong · Independent special · 9-12
70 students · ICSEA 899
EDEN College
Macquarie Fields · Independent special · 9-12
61 students · ICSEA 901
Wollongong Flexible School
Towradgi · Independent special · 7-10
71 students · ICSEA 895
Warakirri College
Fairfield · Independent special · 10-12
548 students · ICSEA 902
TLK Youth College
Berkeley Vale · Independent special · 9-12
58 students · ICSEA 904
Skillset Senior College
Mitchell · Independent special · 10-12
155 students · ICSEA 904
Frequently asked questions
Is Biala Special School a public or private school?
Biala Special School is a Independent school, which makes it a non-government (private) school affiliated with Independent Schools NSW.
What year levels does Biala Special School offer?
Biala Special School offers U. It is classified by ACARA as a special school.
How many students attend Biala Special School?
In 2025, Biala Special School had 33 enrolled students (11 girls, 22 boys), a change of 14% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Biala Special School?
Biala Special School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 898. The national average is 1000, so this indicates a community facing significant socio-educational disadvantage. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Biala Special School?
Biala Special School has about 4.9 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
Is Biala Special School co-ed?
Yes. Biala Special School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Biala Special School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Biala Special School in our database. Scroll up to the "Nearby schools" section to compare them by Success Index, ICSEA and enrolments, or use the Compare tool.
Where can I get tutoring near Biala Special School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Mount Gravatt East, about 155 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.