Cessnock High School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Cessnock, New South Wales 2325 · Cessnock LGA
#418 of 539 high schools in NSW
#1154 of 1,472 nationally
About Cessnock High School
Cessnock High School is a public high school located in Cessnock, New South Wales (2325), within the Cessnock local government area. It caters for students from 7 to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 616 students (307 girls and 309 boys).
Cessnock High School has an ICSEA value of 892, indicating a community facing significant socio-educational disadvantage. That places it in the 9th percentile of Australian schools. 1% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 69% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 57 teachers (64.2 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 9.6 to 1. Enrolments have remained steady over the past five years.
On the Success Index, Cessnock High School scores 31.0 out of 100, placing it in the lower 50% of secondary schools nationally and 418th of 539 secondary schools in NSW (1st of 3 in the Cessnock area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 892
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)1% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)9.6 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)+2% enrolments since 2020 (area median +2%)
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)+27 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 Cessnock High School's 616 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Cessnock High School have changed over the past decade.
Free academic assessment
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Schools near Cessnock High School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Cessnock Public School
Cessnock · Government primary · K-6
276 students · ICSEA 876 · 524 m away
Cessnock East Public School
Cessnock · Government primary · K-6
215 students · ICSEA 835 · 1.7 km away
St Patrick's Primary School
Cessnock · Catholic primary · K-6
347 students · ICSEA 975 · 1.9 km away
Cessnock West Public School
Cessnock · Government primary · K-6
399 students · ICSEA 884 · 2.3 km away
Kearsley Public School
Kearsley · Government primary · K-6
114 students · ICSEA 897 · 3.0 km away
Mount View High School
Cessnock West · Government high school · 7-12
930 students · ICSEA 911 · 3.7 km away
Kitchener Public School
Kitchener · Government primary · K-6
113 students · ICSEA 930 · 3.9 km away
Nulkaba Public School
Nulkaba · Government primary · K-6
389 students · ICSEA 931 · 4.1 km away
Bellbird Public School
Bellbird · Government primary · K-6
355 students · ICSEA 907 · 5.2 km away
St Philip's Christian College - Cessnock
Nulkaba · Independent combined · K-12
1,276 students · ICSEA 1032 · 5.7 km away
Similar schools
Government secondary schools in NSW with a comparable ICSEA.
Broken Hill High School
Broken Hill · Government high school · 7-12
411 students · ICSEA 892
Quirindi High School
Quirindi · Government high school · 7-12
352 students · ICSEA 891
Chifley College Senior Campus
Mount Druitt · Government high school · 11-12
499 students · ICSEA 894
Kurri Kurri High School
Kurri Kurri · Government high school · 7-12
917 students · ICSEA 894
Scone High School
Scone · Government high school · 7-12
316 students · ICSEA 894
Wauchope High School
Wauchope · Government high school · 7-12
458 students · ICSEA 894
Frequently asked questions
Is Cessnock High School a public or private school?
Cessnock High School is a public (government) school run by the New South Wales education department.
What year levels does Cessnock High School offer?
Cessnock High School offers 7 to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a secondary school.
How many students attend Cessnock High School?
In 2025, Cessnock High School had 616 enrolled students (307 girls, 309 boys), a change of 2% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Cessnock High School?
Cessnock High School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 892. The national average is 1000, so this indicates a community facing significant socio-educational disadvantage. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
How does Cessnock High School rank in NSW?
Cessnock High School ranks 418th of 539 secondary schools in New South Wales on the Success Index (31.0/100), and 1154th of 1,472 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Cessnock High School?
Cessnock High School has about 9.6 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at Cessnock High School?
In 2025, Cessnock High School had 127 students in Year 7 and 49 in Year 12.
Is Cessnock High School co-ed?
Yes. Cessnock High School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Cessnock High School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Cessnock 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 Cessnock High School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Belmont, about 34 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.