Hunter River High School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Heatherbrae, New South Wales 2324 · Port Stephens LGA
#473 of 539 high schools in NSW
#1294 of 1,472 nationally
About Hunter River High School
Hunter River High School is a public high school located in Heatherbrae, New South Wales (2324), within the Port Stephens local government area. It caters for students from 7 to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 762 students (352 girls and 410 boys).
Hunter River High School has an ICSEA value of 899, indicating a community facing significant socio-educational disadvantage. That places it in the 10th percentile of Australian schools. 3% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 62% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 76 teachers (73.7 full-time equivalent) and 28 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 10.3 to 1. Enrolments have fallen by 13% over the past five years.
On the Success Index, Hunter River High School scores 25.5 out of 100, placing it in the lower 50% of secondary schools nationally and 473rd of 539 secondary schools in NSW (3rd of 4 in the Port Stephens area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 899
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)3% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)10.3 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)-13% enrolments since 2020 (area median -17%)
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)-14 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 Hunter River High School's 762 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Hunter River High School have changed over the past decade.
Free academic assessment
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Schools near Hunter River High School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Raymond Terrace Public School
Raymond Terrace · Government primary · K-6
322 students · ICSEA 864 · 1.8 km away
St Brigid's Primary School
Raymond Terrace · Catholic primary · K-6
377 students · ICSEA 1012 · 2.3 km away
Irrawang Public School
Raymond Terrace · Government primary · P-6
304 students · ICSEA 863 · 3.4 km away
Irrawang High School
Raymond Terrace · Government high school · 7-12
810 students · ICSEA 916 · 3.9 km away
Millers Forest Public School
Millers Forest · Government primary · K-6
60 students · ICSEA 920 · 4.4 km away
Grahamstown Public School
Raymond Terrace · Government primary · K-6
253 students · ICSEA 912 · 4.7 km away
Woodberry Learning Centre
Woodberry · Government special · U
26 students · ICSEA 844 · 5.9 km away
Woodberry Public School
Woodberry · Government primary · K-6
221 students · ICSEA 817 · 6.0 km away
Francis Greenway High School
Beresfield · Government high school · 7-12
742 students · ICSEA 912 · 7.0 km away
Tarro Public School
Tarro · Government primary · K-6
115 students · ICSEA 892 · 7.1 km away
Similar schools
Government secondary schools in NSW with a comparable ICSEA.
Griffith High School
Griffith · Government high school · 7-12
608 students · ICSEA 899
Warialda High School
Warialda · Government high school · 7-12
199 students · ICSEA 900
Coonabarabran High School
Coonabarabran · Government high school · 7-12
298 students · ICSEA 898
Singleton High School
Singleton · Government high school · 7-12
877 students · ICSEA 901
Lurnea High School
Lurnea · Government high school · 7-12
696 students · ICSEA 902
James Busby High School
Green Valley · Government high school · 7-12
544 students · ICSEA 902
Frequently asked questions
Is Hunter River High School a public or private school?
Hunter River High School is a public (government) school run by the New South Wales education department.
What year levels does Hunter River High School offer?
Hunter River High School offers 7 to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a secondary school.
How many students attend Hunter River High School?
In 2025, Hunter River High School had 762 enrolled students (352 girls, 410 boys), a change of -13% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Hunter River High School?
Hunter River High School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 899. 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 Hunter River High School rank in NSW?
Hunter River High School ranks 473rd of 539 secondary schools in New South Wales on the Success Index (25.5/100), and 1294th of 1,472 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Hunter River High School?
Hunter River High School has about 10.3 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at Hunter River High School?
In 2025, Hunter River High School had 155 students in Year 7 and 66 in Year 12.
Is Hunter River High School co-ed?
Yes. Hunter River High School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Hunter River High School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Hunter River 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 Hunter River High School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Belmont, about 28 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.