Cairns State High School is a government co-educational secondary in Cairns North serving a broad student intake.
NAPLAN in line with national year-level averages; the result is a B overall.
Cairns State High School is a government co-educational secondary in Cairns North serving a broad student intake. The school maintains a strongly pastoral focus and offers excellence programs for students working at higher levels. Facilities include Centennial Hall. The pastoral emphasis shapes the school's approach to student wellbeing and community, making it a suitable choice for families valuing supportive school culture alongside academic opportunity.
Cairns State High School is also known as CSHS, Cairns State HS and CSHS Cairns North.
Cairns State High School draws students from the Cairns SHS (and 1 more zone).
Cairns State High School has an overall SchoolRank score of 58.5/100, rated "Average". This score is calculated from academic results, student growth, wellbeing, extracurricular programs, and value for money. Academically, the school scores 56/100, indicating moderate performance relative to other Australian schools. The school's ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) is 1019, above the national average of 1,000.
In 2025 NAPLAN testing at Cairns State High School, Year 7 students averaged 539 across the tested NAPLAN domains, in line with the national average of 540 for that year level, and Year 9 students averaged 583, above the national average of 569 for that year level. Relative to national year-level averages, the school's strongest domain is Grammar. National averages are specific to each year level, because NAPLAN scores are scaled so older year levels score higher, a school-wide average can't be compared with a single national figure.
Cairns State High School is a large government secondary school with approximately 1,636 students. It offers education for years 7-12. As a government school, enrolment is generally available to students living within the school's designated catchment zone. Families outside the zone may apply for out-of-area placement subject to availability.
Cairns State High School is a government school, so there are no tuition fees. Families may be asked to contribute to voluntary school fees covering materials, excursions, and activities. The school has a value score of 59/100 on SchoolRank, which compares educational outcomes relative to cost, government schools typically score well on this measure.
Cairns State High School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.2:1. This is around the national average of approximately 14:1, meaning class sizes are typical for Australian schools. Support staff make up 29% of the workforce, providing additional learning assistance and pastoral care. The student attendance rate is 89%, which is moderate.
Cairns State High School is located in Cairns North, QLD, classified as a outer regional school. With an ICSEA of 1019 (56th percentile), the school community's socio-educational advantage is around the national average. ICSEA measures the educational advantage of a school's community, not the school's quality, a lower ICSEA school with strong academic scores may indicate particularly effective teaching.