Cardiff High School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Cardiff, New South Wales 2285 · Lake Macquarie LGA
About Cardiff High School
Cardiff High School is a public high school located in Cardiff, New South Wales (2285), within the Lake Macquarie local government area. It caters for students from 7 to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 778 students (367 girls and 411 boys).
Cardiff High School has an ICSEA value of 986, indicating a socio-educational profile close to the national average of 1000. That places it in the 40th percentile of Australian schools. 11% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 33% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 61 teachers (66.1 full-time equivalent) and 24 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 11.7 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 10% over the past five years.
On the Success Index, Cardiff High School scores 52.2 out of 100, placing it in the top 50% of secondary schools nationally and 261st of 539 secondary schools in NSW (5th of 13 in the Lake Macquarie area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 986
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)11% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)11.7 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)+10% enrolments since 2020 (area median +0%)
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)+10 ICSEA points since 2020
The Success Index summarises the academic environment of a school community using official ACARA data. It is not a measure of teaching quality or student results. Read the methodology.
Student profile
Distribution of students across socio-educational advantage (SEA) quarters, plus community characteristics.
Enrolments by year level
How Cardiff High School's 778 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Cardiff High School have changed over the past decade.
Free academic assessment
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Schools near Cardiff High School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Cardiff South Public School
Cardiff South · Government primary · P-6
298 students · ICSEA 1017 · 583 m away
St Kevin's Primary School
Cardiff · Catholic primary · K-6
130 students · ICSEA 1071 · 1.0 km away
Garden Suburb Public School
Garden Suburb · Government primary · K-6
227 students · ICSEA 1045 · 1.2 km away
Newcastle Junior School
Hillsborough · Government special · U
63 students · ICSEA 940 · 1.2 km away
Hillsborough Public School
Charlestown · Government primary · K-6
164 students · ICSEA 1020 · 1.3 km away
Cardiff Public School
Cardiff · Government primary · K-6
283 students · ICSEA 1000 · 1.3 km away
Cardiff North Public School
Cardiff · Government primary · K-6
149 students · ICSEA 1014 · 1.7 km away
Kotara South Public School
Kotara · Government primary · K-6
309 students · ICSEA 1069 · 2.3 km away
Warners Bay High School
Warners Bay · Government high school · 7-12
1,161 students · ICSEA 1056 · 2.4 km away
Charlestown South Public School
Charlestown · Government primary · K-6
235 students · ICSEA 1075 · 2.5 km away
Similar schools
Government secondary schools in NSW with a comparable ICSEA.
Kingsgrove High School
Kingsgrove · Government high school · 7-12
672 students · ICSEA 986
Cecil Hills High School
Cecil Hills · Government high school · 7-12
1,342 students · ICSEA 986
J J Cahill Memorial High School
Mascot · Government high school · 7-12
298 students · ICSEA 987
Richmond High School
Richmond · Government high school · 7-12
750 students · ICSEA 987
Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College The Entrance Campus
Long Jetty · Government high school · 7-12
756 students · ICSEA 987
Great Lakes College Senior Campus
Tuncurry · Government high school · 11-12
349 students · ICSEA 988
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardiff High School a public or private school?
Cardiff High School is a public (government) school run by the New South Wales education department.
What year levels does Cardiff High School offer?
Cardiff High School offers 7 to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a secondary school.
How many students attend Cardiff High School?
In 2025, Cardiff High School had 778 enrolled students (367 girls, 411 boys), a change of 10% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Cardiff High School?
Cardiff High School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 986. The national average is 1000, so this indicates a socio-educational profile close to the national average of 1000. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
How does Cardiff High School rank in NSW?
Cardiff High School ranks 261st of 539 secondary schools in New South Wales on the Success Index (52.2/100), and 687th of 1,472 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Cardiff High School?
Cardiff High School has about 11.7 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at Cardiff High School?
In 2025, Cardiff High School had 146 students in Year 7 and 92 in Year 12.
Is Cardiff High School co-ed?
Yes. Cardiff High School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Cardiff High School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Cardiff High 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 Cardiff High School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Belmont, about 8.3 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.