Cairns School of Distance Education
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Manunda, Queensland 4870 · Cairns LGA
#106 of 275 combined schools in QLD
#556 of 1,259 nationally
About Cairns School of Distance Education
Cairns School of Distance Education is a public combined (K–12) school located in Manunda, Queensland (4870), within the Cairns local government area. It caters for students from Prep to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 3,692 students (2,080 girls and 1,612 boys).
Cairns School of Distance Education has an ICSEA value of 1024, indicating a socio-educational profile close to the national average of 1000. That places it in the 57th percentile of Australian schools. 20% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 23% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 172 teachers (163.3 full-time equivalent) and 60 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 10.6 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 17% over the past five years.
On the Success Index, Cairns School of Distance Education scores 54.5 out of 100, placing it in the top 50% of combined schools nationally and 106th of 275 combined schools in QLD (2nd of 10 in the Cairns area).
Success Index breakdown
Each component is a percentile against schools of the same type across Australia.
- Socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) (50%)ICSEA 1024
- Students in the top advantage quarter (15%)20% of students
- Teacher resourcing (students per teacher) (15%)10.6 students per teacher
- Enrolment growth vs local area (5 years) (10%)+17% enrolments since 2020 (area median -6%)
- ICSEA trend (5 years) (10%)-2 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 Cairns School of Distance Education's 3,692 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Cairns School of Distance Education have changed over the past decade.
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Schools near Cairns School of Distance Education
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Trinity Bay State High School
Manunda · Government high school · 7-12
1,784 students · ICSEA 908 · 92 m away
The BUSY School
Cairns · Independent high school · 11-12
1,780 students · ICSEA 975 · 749 m away
Cairns West State School
Manunda · Government primary · Prep-6
481 students · ICSEA 784 · 902 m away
St Francis Xavier's School
Manunda · Catholic primary · Prep-6
382 students · ICSEA 953 · 1.0 km away
Parramatta State School
Parramatta Park · Government primary · Prep-6
482 students · ICSEA 887 · 1.3 km away
Balaclava State School
Mooroobool · Government primary · Prep-6
381 students · ICSEA 797 · 1.6 km away
St Joseph's School
Parramatta Park · Catholic primary · Prep-6
348 students · ICSEA 1029 · 1.7 km away
St Augustine's College
Cairns · Catholic high school · 7-12
777 students · ICSEA 1060 · 1.9 km away
Cairns State High School
Cairns North · Government high school · 7-12
1,636 students · ICSEA 1019 · 2.0 km away
Edge Hill State School
Edge Hill · Government primary · Prep-6
864 students · ICSEA 1016 · 2.2 km away
Similar schools
Government combined schools in QLD with a comparable ICSEA.
Calamvale Community College
Calamvale · Government combined · Prep-12
2,461 students · ICSEA 1026
Whites Hill State College
Camp Hill · Government combined · Prep-12
832 students · ICSEA 1020
North Lakes State College
North Lakes · Government combined · Prep-12
2,407 students · ICSEA 1018
Kawana Waters State College
Bokarina · Government combined · Prep-12
2,495 students · ICSEA 1034
Meridan State College
Meridan Plains · Government combined · Prep-12
1,795 students · ICSEA 1013
Brisbane School of Distance Education
Coorparoo · Government combined · Prep-12
3,100 students · ICSEA 1038
Frequently asked questions
Is Cairns School of Distance Education a public or private school?
Cairns School of Distance Education is a public (government) school run by the Queensland education department.
What year levels does Cairns School of Distance Education offer?
Cairns School of Distance Education offers Prep to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a combined school.
How many students attend Cairns School of Distance Education?
In 2025, Cairns School of Distance Education had 3,692 enrolled students (2,080 girls, 1,612 boys), a change of 17% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Cairns School of Distance Education?
Cairns School of Distance Education has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 1024. The national average is 1000, so this indicates a socio-educational profile close to the national average of 1000. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
How does Cairns School of Distance Education rank in QLD?
Cairns School of Distance Education ranks 106th of 275 combined schools in Queensland on the Success Index (54.5/100), and 556th of 1,259 nationally.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Cairns School of Distance Education?
Cairns School of Distance Education has about 10.6 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at Cairns School of Distance Education?
In 2025, Cairns School of Distance Education had 168 students in Year 7 and 371 in Year 12.
Is Cairns School of Distance Education co-ed?
Yes. Cairns School of Distance Education is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Cairns School of Distance Education?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Cairns School of Distance Education 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 Cairns School of Distance Education?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring North Lakes, about 1368 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.