St Mary Star of the Sea College
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 · Wollongong LGA
About St Mary Star of the Sea College
St Mary Star of the Sea College is an independent girls' high school located in Wollongong, New South Wales (2500), within the Wollongong local government area. It caters for students from 7 to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 1,128 students. The school is affiliated with Catholic Schools NSW.
St Mary Star of the Sea College has an ICSEA value of 1104, indicating very high socio-educational advantage. That places it in the 85th percentile of Australian schools. 42% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 7% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 101 teachers (91.4 full-time equivalent) and 45 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 12.3 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 3% over the past five years.
On the Success Index, St Mary Star of the Sea College scores 77.3 out of 100, placing it in the top 10% of secondary schools nationally and 37th of 539 secondary schools in NSW (1st of 15 in the Wollongong area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 1104
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)42% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)12.3 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)+3% enrolments since 2020 (area median +1%)
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)+7 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 Mary Star of the Sea College's 1,128 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at St Mary Star of the Sea College have changed over the past decade.
Free academic assessment
Is your child on track at St Mary Star of the Sea College?
Rankings tell you about a school community. A free Success Tutoring assessment tells you about your child: exactly where they are in English and Maths, where the gaps are, and a plan to close them. Small-group, Australian-curriculum tutoring with no lock-in contracts.
- Personalised learning plan mapped to the Australian Curriculum
- English & Maths from Kindergarten to Year 12
- Flexible memberships, no lock-in contracts
- Your nearest centre: Success Tutoring Campbelltown
Schools near St Mary Star of the Sea College
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Wollongong Public School
Wollongong · Government primary · K-6
579 students · ICSEA 1084 · 579 m away
Smiths Hill High School
Wollongong · Government high school · 7-12
736 students · ICSEA 1186 · 936 m away
Novo Education Space
Wollongong · Independent special · 9-12
44 students · ICSEA 983 · 1.4 km away
Illawarra Hospital School
Wollongong · Government special
· 1.7 km away
Para Meadows School
North Wollongong · Government special · U
113 students · ICSEA 945 · 2.0 km away
Coniston Public School
Coniston · Government primary · K-6
181 students · ICSEA 990 · 2.1 km away
St Brigid's Catholic Primary School
Gwynneville · Catholic primary · K-6
175 students · ICSEA 1083 · 2.1 km away
Gwynneville Public School
Gwynneville · Government primary · K-6
271 students · ICSEA 1065 · 2.3 km away
Keira High School
Fairy Meadow · Government high school · 7-12
723 students · ICSEA 984 · 2.4 km away
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
Fairy Meadow · Government high school · 7-12
1,169 students · ICSEA 1075 · 2.4 km away
Similar schools
Independent secondary schools in NSW with a comparable ICSEA.
Australian Performing Arts Grammar School
Glebe · Independent high school · 7-12
129 students · ICSEA 1103
Alpha Omega Senior College
Auburn · Independent high school · 7-12
822 students · ICSEA 1111
Oakhill College
Castle Hill · Independent high school · 7-12
2,242 students · ICSEA 1124
Edmund Rice College
West Wollongong · Independent high school · 7-12
1,054 students · ICSEA 1083
Rosebank College
Five Dock · Independent high school · 7-12
1,472 students · ICSEA 1125
Chevalier College
Burradoo · Independent high school · 7-12
951 students · ICSEA 1081
Frequently asked questions
Is St Mary Star of the Sea College a public or private school?
St Mary Star of the Sea College is a Independent school, which makes it a non-government (private) school affiliated with Catholic Schools NSW.
What year levels does St Mary Star of the Sea College offer?
St Mary Star of the Sea College offers 7 to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a secondary school.
How many students attend St Mary Star of the Sea College?
In 2025, St Mary Star of the Sea College had 1,128 enrolled students (1,128 girls, 0 boys), a change of 3% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of St Mary Star of the Sea College?
St Mary Star of the Sea College has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 1104. The national average is 1000, so this indicates very high socio-educational advantage. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
How does St Mary Star of the Sea College rank in NSW?
St Mary Star of the Sea College ranks 37th of 539 secondary schools in New South Wales on the Success Index (77.3/100), and 106th of 1,472 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at St Mary Star of the Sea College?
St Mary Star of the Sea College has about 12.3 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at St Mary Star of the Sea College?
In 2025, St Mary Star of the Sea College had 189 students in Year 7 and 181 in Year 12.
Is St Mary Star of the Sea College co-ed?
No. St Mary Star of the Sea College is a girls' school.
What other schools are near St Mary Star of the Sea College?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of St Mary Star of the Sea College 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 Mary Star of the Sea College?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Campbelltown, about 40 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.