William Duncan State School is a traditional co-ed primary in Highland Park with a structured, pastoral approach.
NAPLAN well below national year-level averages; the result is a C+ overall.
William Duncan State School is a traditional co-ed primary in Highland Park with a structured, pastoral approach. The school offers strong instrumental music and choir programs alongside a STEaM curriculum and Japanese language instruction. It maintains an inclusive culture supporting all learners, with enrichment for gifted students, and a reputation for interschool sport. Well-suited to families valuing music, structured learning, and a supportive community environment.
William Duncan State School is also known as WDSS and WDSS Highland Park.
William Duncan State School draws students from the William Duncan SS.
William Duncan State School has an overall SchoolRank score of 37/100, 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 975, slightly below the national average of 1,000.
In 2025 NAPLAN testing at William Duncan State School, Year 3 students averaged 363 across the tested NAPLAN domains, well below the national average of 407 for that year level, and Year 5 students averaged 451, below the national average of 490 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.
William Duncan State School is a medium-sized government primary school with approximately 580 students. It offers education for years Prep-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.
William Duncan State 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.
William Duncan State School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.1:1. This is around the national average of approximately 14:1, meaning class sizes are typical for Australian schools. Support staff make up 28% of the workforce, providing additional learning assistance and pastoral care. The student attendance rate is 88%, which is moderate.
William Duncan State School is located in Highland Park, QLD, classified as a major cities school. With an ICSEA of 975 (35th 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.