Merri River School
Updated Oct 2026 · ACARA 2025Warrnambool, Victoria 3280 · Warrnambool LGA
About Merri River School
Merri River School is a public special school located in Warrnambool, Victoria (3280), within the Warrnambool local government area. It caters for students from U and in 2025 enrolled 189 students (63 girls and 126 boys).
Merri River School has an ICSEA value of 921, indicating below-average socio-educational advantage. That places it in the 15th percentile of Australian schools. 10% of students come from the top socio-educational quarter and 58% from the bottom quarter.
The school employs 41 teachers (35.9 full-time equivalent) and 63 non-teaching staff, giving a student-to-teacher ratio of about 5.2 to 1. Enrolments have grown by 11% over the past five years.
Merri River 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.
Enrolment trend
How enrolments at Merri River School have changed over the past decade.
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Schools near Merri River School
Closest schools by straight-line distance, with their Success Index.
St Pius X School
Warrnambool · Catholic primary · Prep-6
246 students · ICSEA 1002 · 1.6 km away
Warrnambool West Primary School
Warrnambool · Government primary · Prep-6
138 students · ICSEA 902 · 1.6 km away
Brauer Secondary College
Warrnambool · Government high school · 7-12
866 students · ICSEA 982 · 1.7 km away
Emmanuel College Warrnambool
Warrnambool · Catholic high school · 7-12
1,340 students · ICSEA 1064 · 1.8 km away
St Joseph's School
Warrnambool · Catholic primary · Prep-6
622 students · ICSEA 1068 · 2.1 km away
Warrnambool Primary School
Warrnambool · Government primary · Prep-6
370 students · ICSEA 963 · 2.6 km away
King's College
Warrnambool · Independent combined · Prep-12
276 students · ICSEA 1083 · 2.6 km away
St John's School
Dennington · Catholic primary · Prep-6
273 students · ICSEA 1009 · 2.8 km away
Warrnambool College
Warrnambool · Government high school · 7-12
1,070 students · ICSEA 979 · 3.1 km away
Merrivale Primary School
Warrnambool · Government primary · Prep-6
184 students · ICSEA 1018 · 3.2 km away
Similar schools
Government special schools in VIC with a comparable ICSEA.
Wangaratta District Specialist School
Wangaratta · Government special · U
171 students · ICSEA 922
Mornington Special Developmental School
Mornington · Government special · U
24 students · ICSEA 920
Bass Coast Specialist School
Wonthaggi · Government special · U
74 students · ICSEA 922
Latrobe Special Developmental School
Traralgon · Government special · U
84 students · ICSEA 928
Cobram and District Specialist School
Cobram · Government special · U
66 students · ICSEA 929
Lake Colac School
Colac · Government special · U
82 students · ICSEA 933
Frequently asked questions
Is Merri River School a public or private school?
Merri River School is a public (government) school run by the Victoria education department.
What year levels does Merri River School offer?
Merri River School offers U. It is classified by ACARA as a special school.
How many students attend Merri River School?
In 2025, Merri River School had 189 enrolled students (63 girls, 126 boys), a change of 11% over five years.
What is the ICSEA of Merri River School?
Merri River School has an ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of 921. 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 Merri River School?
Merri River School has about 5.2 students per full-time-equivalent teacher, based on 2025 ACARA staffing data.
Is Merri River School co-ed?
Yes. Merri River School is a co-educational school enrolling both girls and boys.
What other schools are near Merri River School?
There are 10 other schools within 15 km of Merri River 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 Merri River School?
The closest Success Tutoring centre is Success Tutoring Torquay, about 161 km from the school. Success Tutoring offers a free academic assessment to identify your child's strengths and learning gaps before any sessions begin.