Palmerston College
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Driver, Northern Territory 0830 · Palmerston LGA
About Palmerston College
Palmerston College is a public high school located in Driver, Northern Territory (0830), within the Palmerston local government area. It caters for students from 7 to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 1,267 students (574 girls and 693 boys).
Palmerston College has an ICSEA value of 884, indicating a community facing significant socio-educational disadvantage. That places it in the 8th percentile of Australian schools. 4% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 54% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 114 teachers (110.6 full-time equivalent) and 81 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 11.4 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 4% over the past five years.
On the Success Index, Palmerston College scores 22.2 out of 100, placing it in the lower 50% of secondary schools nationally and 21st of 23 secondary schools in NT (2nd of 2 in the Palmerston area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 884
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)4% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)11.4 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)+4% enrolments since 2020
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)-19 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 Palmerston College's 1,267 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Palmerston College have changed over the past decade.
Free academic assessment
Is your child on track at Palmerston 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
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Schools near Palmerston College
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Woodroffe · Catholic primary · T-6
165 students · ICSEA 983 · 810 m away
Palmerston Christian College
Marlow Lagoon · Independent combined · T-10
365 students · ICSEA 1008 · 942 m away
Gray Primary School
Gray · Government primary · T-6
283 students · ICSEA 808 · 1.1 km away
Driver Primary School
Driver · Government primary · T-6
409 students · ICSEA 914 · 1.1 km away
Moulden Primary School
Moulden · Government primary · T-6
211 students · ICSEA 753 · 1.3 km away
Woodroffe Primary School
Woodroffe · Government primary · T-6
327 students · ICSEA 842 · 1.7 km away
Durack Primary School
Durack · Government primary · T-6
474 students · ICSEA 1017 · 2.1 km away
Forrest Parade School
Bellamack · Government special · T-6
118 students · ICSEA 939 · 2.3 km away
Bakewell Primary School
Bakewell · Government primary · T-6
616 students · ICSEA 978 · 2.4 km away
Rosebery Primary School
Rosebery · Government primary · T-6
349 students · ICSEA 964 · 3.0 km away
Similar schools
Government secondary schools in NT with a comparable ICSEA.
Centralian Senior College
Alice Springs · Government high school · 10-12
351 students · ICSEA 879
Nhulunbuy High School
Nhulunbuy · Government high school · 7-12
279 students · ICSEA 903
Sanderson High School
Malak · Government high school · 7-9
328 students · ICSEA 863
Northern Territory School of Distance Education
The Gardens · Government high school · 9-12
252 students · ICSEA 837
Taminmin College
Humpty Doo · Government high school · 7-12
1,049 students · ICSEA 937
Casuarina Senior College
Moil · Government high school · 10-12
690 students · ICSEA 949
Frequently asked questions
Is Palmerston College a public or private school?
Palmerston College is a public (government) school run by the Northern Territory education department.
What year levels does Palmerston College offer?
Palmerston College offers 7 to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a secondary school.
How many students attend Palmerston College?
In 2025, Palmerston College had 1,267 enrolled students (574 girls, 693 boys), a change of 4% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Palmerston College?
Palmerston College has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 884. 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 Palmerston College rank in NT?
Palmerston College ranks 21st of 23 secondary schools in Northern Territory on the Success Index (22.2/100), and 1378th of 1,472 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Palmerston College?
Palmerston College has about 11.4 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at Palmerston College?
In 2025, Palmerston College had 228 students in Year 7 and 140 in Year 12.
Is Palmerston College co-ed?
Yes. Palmerston College is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Palmerston College?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Palmerston 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 Palmerston College?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Windsor Gardens, about 2605 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.