St Joseph's Primary School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Merewether, New South Wales 2291 · Newcastle LGA
#361 of 1,619 primary schools in NSW
#1155 of 4,908 nationally
About St Joseph's Primary School
St Joseph's Primary School is a catholic primary school located in Merewether, New South Wales (2291), within the Newcastle local government area. It caters for students from K to 6 and in 2025 enrolled 387 students (189 girls and 198 boys). The school is affiliated with Catholic Schools NSW.
St Joseph's Primary School has an ICSEA value of 1141, indicating very high socio-educational advantage. That places it in the 94th percentile of Australian schools. 57% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 2% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 26 teachers (20.9 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 18.5 to 1. Enrolments have remained steady over the past five years.
On the Success Index, St Joseph's Primary School scores 68.5 out of 100, placing it in the top 25% of primary schools nationally and 361st of 1,619 primary schools in NSW (11th of 45 in the Newcastle area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 1141
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)57% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)18.5 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)-1% enrolments since 2020 (area median -4%)
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)-28 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 St Joseph's Primary School's 387 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at St Joseph's Primary School have changed over the past decade.
Free academic assessment
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Schools near St Joseph's Primary School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
The Junction Public School
Merewether · Government primary · K-6
450 students · ICSEA 1115 · 322 m away
Newcastle High School
Hamilton · Government high school · 7-12
1,072 students · ICSEA 1027 · 623 m away
Hamilton South Public School
Merewether · Government primary · K-6
362 students · ICSEA 1139 · 707 m away
Novoschool
Newcastle West · Independent high school · 7-9
79 students · ICSEA 1077 · 1.0 km away
St Francis Xavier's College
Hamilton · Catholic high school · 7-12
959 students · ICSEA 1096 · 1.2 km away
Holy Family Primary School
Merewether Beach · Catholic primary · K-6
198 students · ICSEA 1132 · 1.4 km away
Merewether Public School
Merewether · Government primary · K-6
139 students · ICSEA 950 · 1.6 km away
Newcastle East Public School
Newcastle · Government primary · K-6
260 students · ICSEA 1112 · 1.8 km away
Newcastle Grammar School
The Hill · Independent combined · K-12
1,049 students · ICSEA 1181 · 2.1 km away
Hamilton Public School
Hamilton · Government primary · K-6
306 students · ICSEA 1106 · 2.1 km away
Similar schools
Catholic primary schools in NSW with a comparable ICSEA.
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
St Ives · Catholic primary · K-6
221 students · ICSEA 1141
St Gerard's Catholic Primary School
Carlingford · Catholic primary · K-6
262 students · ICSEA 1140
St Anthony's Catholic Primary School
Marsfield · Catholic primary · K-6
284 students · ICSEA 1142
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School
North Strathfield · Catholic primary · K-6
427 students · ICSEA 1140
Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School
Chatswood · Catholic primary · K-6
355 students · ICSEA 1144
St Bernadette's Primary School
Castle Hill · Catholic primary · K-6
479 students · ICSEA 1145
Frequently asked questions
Is St Joseph's Primary School a public or private school?
St Joseph's Primary School is a Catholic school, which makes it a non-government (private) school affiliated with Catholic Schools NSW.
What year levels does St Joseph's Primary School offer?
St Joseph's Primary School offers K to 6. It is classified by ACARA as a primary school.
How many students attend St Joseph's Primary School?
In 2025, St Joseph's Primary School had 387 enrolled students (189 girls, 198 boys), a change of -1% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of St Joseph's Primary School?
St Joseph's Primary School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 1141. The national average is 1000, so this indicates very high socio-educational advantage. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
How does St Joseph's Primary School rank in NSW?
St Joseph's Primary School ranks 361st of 1,619 primary schools in New South Wales on the Success Index (68.5/100), and 1155th of 4,908 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at St Joseph's Primary School?
St Joseph's Primary School has about 18.5 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How many students start Kindergarten at St Joseph's Primary School each year?
In 2025, St Joseph's Primary School had 48 students in Kindergarten and 52 in Year 6.
Is St Joseph's Primary School co-ed?
Yes. St Joseph's Primary School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near St Joseph's Primary School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of St Joseph's Primary 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 St Joseph's Primary School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Belmont, about 13 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.