Cessnock High School is a co-ed government secondary school with a strong pastoral culture and tight-knit community feel.
NAPLAN well below national year-level averages and solid student growth; the result is a C+ overall.
Cessnock High School is a co-ed government secondary school with a strong pastoral culture and tight-knit community feel. The school runs Inspire, a program for high-potential and gifted students, and provides additional learning support services. It's known for the House of Origin sporting competition and an active Interact Club that focuses on community service. Families choosing Cessnock tend to value a supportive, connected environment where students can develop both academically and through community engagement.
Cessnock High School is also known as Cessnock HS and CHS Cessnock.
Cessnock High School draws students from the Cessnock HS (and 1 more zone).
Cessnock High School has an overall SchoolRank score of 38.3/100, rated "Below Average". This score is calculated from academic results, student growth, wellbeing, extracurricular programs, and value for money. Academically, the school scores 38/100, indicating developing performance relative to other Australian schools. The school's ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) is 892, below the national average of 1,000. Notably, the school shows strong student growth over time (67/100), meaning students tend to improve well regardless of their starting point.
In 2025 NAPLAN testing at Cessnock High School, Year 7 students averaged 488 across the tested NAPLAN domains, well below the national average of 540 for that year level, and Year 9 students averaged 534, below the national average of 569 for that year level. 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.
Cessnock High School is a medium-sized government secondary school with approximately 616 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.
Cessnock 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 40/100 on SchoolRank, which compares educational outcomes relative to cost, government schools typically score well on this measure.
Cessnock High School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.6:1. This is well below the national average of approximately 14:1, meaning students generally receive more individual attention. Support staff make up 24% of the workforce, providing additional learning assistance and pastoral care. The student attendance rate is 75%, which is below the national benchmark.
Cessnock High School is located in Cessnock, NSW, classified as a major cities school. With an ICSEA of 892 (9th percentile), the school community's socio-educational advantage is below average, which means the school serves a community with greater socio-educational challenges. 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.