Cairns State Special School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Woree, Queensland 4868 · Cairns LGA
About Cairns State Special School
Cairns State Special School is a public special school located in Woree, Queensland (4868), within the Cairns local government area. It caters for students from Prep to 12 and in 2025 enrolled 130 students (38 girls and 92 boys).
Cairns State Special School has an ICSEA value of 913, indicating below-average socio-educational advantage. That places it in the 14th percentile of Australian schools. 8% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 43% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 37 teachers (32.8 full-time equivalent) and 61 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 4.0 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 67% over the past five years.
Cairns State Special School is a special school. Special schools support students with disability or specific needs and are deliberately excluded from the Success Index and rankings, which would not be a fair measure of what they do.
Student profile
Distribution of students across socio-educational advantage (SEA) quarters, plus community characteristics.
Enrolments by year level
How Cairns State Special School's 130 students are spread across year levels in 2025.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Cairns State Special School have changed over the past decade.
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Schools near Cairns State Special School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
Woree State High School
Woree · Government high school · 7-12
750 students · ICSEA 854 · 266 m away
Woree State School
Woree · Government primary · Prep-6
530 students · ICSEA 860 · 306 m away
St Gerard Majella Primary School
Woree · Catholic primary · Prep-6
399 students · ICSEA 1035 · 663 m away
St Mary's Catholic College
Woree · Catholic high school · 7-12
949 students · ICSEA 1023 · 1.0 km away
Trinity Anglican School
White Rock · Independent combined · Prep-12
1,204 students · ICSEA 1103 · 2.0 km away
Our Lady Help of Christians School
Earlville · Catholic primary · Prep-6
506 students · ICSEA 1025 · 2.1 km away
White Rock State School
White Rock · Government primary · Prep-6
439 students · ICSEA 837 · 2.8 km away
Balaclava State School
Mooroobool · Government primary · Prep-6
381 students · ICSEA 797 · 2.9 km away
St Francis Xavier's School
Manunda · Catholic primary · Prep-6
382 students · ICSEA 953 · 4.2 km away
Cairns West State School
Manunda · Government primary · Prep-6
481 students · ICSEA 784 · 4.2 km away
Similar schools
Government special schools in QLD with a comparable ICSEA.
Rockhampton Special School
Rockhampton · Government special · Prep-12
103 students · ICSEA 925
Townsville Community Learning Centre - A State Special School
Mundingburra · Government special · Prep-12
198 students · ICSEA 930
Clifford Park Special School
Newtown · Government special · 7-12
183 students · ICSEA 937
Rockhampton North Special School
Frenchville · Government special · Prep-12
90 students · ICSEA 940
Lee Street State Special School
Caboolture · Government special · 7-12
131 students · ICSEA 941
Rosella Park School
West Gladstone · Government special · Prep-12
87 students · ICSEA 942
Frequently asked questions
Is Cairns State Special School a public or private school?
Cairns State Special School is a public (government) school run by the Queensland education department.
What year levels does Cairns State Special School offer?
Cairns State Special School offers Prep to 12. It is classified by ACARA as a special school.
How many students attend Cairns State Special School?
In 2025, Cairns State Special School had 130 enrolled students (38 girls, 92 boys), a change of 67% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Cairns State Special School?
Cairns State Special School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 913. The national average is 1000, so this indicates below-average socio-educational advantage. ICSEA reflects the school community, not teaching quality.
What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Cairns State Special School?
Cairns State Special School has about 4.0 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
How big is the Year 7 cohort at Cairns State Special School?
In 2025, Cairns State Special School had 10 students in Year 7 and 15 in Year 12.
Is Cairns State Special School co-ed?
Yes. Cairns State Special School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Cairns State Special School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Cairns State Special 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 Cairns State Special School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring North Lakes, about 1365 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.