Southern Cross Public School is a co-ed government primary in East Ballina serving a tight-knit community with a strong pastoral focus.
NAPLAN modestly above national year-level averages; the result is a B overall.
Southern Cross Public School is a co-ed government primary in East Ballina serving a tight-knit community with a strong pastoral focus. The school supports gifted learners through its Inspire program and provides a dedicated unit for additional learning support, helping meet students across the spectrum of need. Families here value genuine community connection and accessible, responsive care.
Southern Cross Public School is also known as SCPS and SCPS East Ballina.
Southern Cross Public School draws students from the Southern Cross CS.
Southern Cross Public School has an overall SchoolRank score of 51.7/100, rated "Average". This score is calculated from academic results, student growth, wellbeing, extracurricular programs, and value for money. Academically, the school scores 61/100, indicating moderate performance relative to other Australian schools. The school's ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) is 1053, well above the national average of 1,000.
In 2025 NAPLAN testing at Southern Cross Public School, Year 3 students averaged 435 across the tested NAPLAN domains, above the national average of 407 for that year level, and Year 5 students averaged 490, in line with the national average of 490 for that year level. Relative to national year-level averages, the school's strongest domain is Reading. 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.
Southern Cross Public School is a small government primary school with approximately 388 students. It offers education for years K-6. 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.
Southern Cross Public 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 64/100 on SchoolRank, which compares educational outcomes relative to cost, government schools typically score well on this measure.
Southern Cross Public School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.4:1. This is around the national average of approximately 14:1, meaning class sizes are typical for Australian schools. Support staff make up 21% of the workforce, providing additional learning assistance and pastoral care. The student attendance rate is 90%, which is moderate.
Southern Cross Public School is located in East Ballina, NSW, classified as a inner regional school. With an ICSEA of 1053 (70th 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.