Karabar High School is a co-ed government secondary in Queanbeyan with a strong reputation for performing arts.
NAPLAN 24 points below national year-level averages; the result is a B- overall.
Karabar High School is a co-ed government secondary in Queanbeyan with a strong reputation for performing arts. It runs a selective performing arts class alongside an HPGE program, and offers additional learning support and wellbeing services. The school is known for its drama and theatre work, successful volleyball teams, and a notably pastoral culture. It suits families wanting a well-resourced public school with genuine arts specialisation and strong pastoral care.
Karabar High School is also known as Karabar HS and KHS Queanbeyan.
Karabar High School draws students from the Karabar HS (and 1 more zone).
Karabar High School has an overall SchoolRank score of 42.2/100, rated "Average". This score is calculated from academic results, student growth, wellbeing, extracurricular programs, and value for money. Academically, the school scores 43/100, indicating developing performance relative to other Australian schools. The school's ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) is 982, slightly below the national average of 1,000.
In 2025 NAPLAN testing at Karabar High School, Year 7 students averaged 512 across the tested NAPLAN domains, below the national average of 540 for that year level, and Year 9 students averaged 548, 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.
Karabar High School is a medium-sized government secondary school with approximately 723 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. The school also runs an academically selective stream with test-based entry alongside its local intake.
Partially. Karabar High School runs an academically selective stream with test-based entry alongside its regular local intake. Entry is through the Selective High School Placement Test. The main entry point is Year 7. Applications go through the official state process, and entry cutoff marks are not published.
Karabar 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 45/100 on SchoolRank, which compares educational outcomes relative to cost, government schools typically score well on this measure.
Karabar High School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 8.8:1. This is well below the national average of approximately 14:1, meaning students generally receive more individual attention. Support staff make up 20% of the workforce, providing additional learning assistance and pastoral care. The student attendance rate is 78%, which is below the national benchmark.
The Year 12 completion rate is 85%.
Karabar High School is located in Queanbeyan, NSW, classified as a major cities school. With an ICSEA of 982 (38th 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.