Best Schools in Canberra

Top schools in Canberra

1. Canberra Girls Grammar School
   Deakin · Independent · Combined — Academic 74/100
2. Canberra Grammar School
   Red Hill · Independent · Combined — Academic 72/100
3. Radford College
   Bruce · Independent · Combined — Academic 72/100
4. Emmaus Christian School
   Dickson · Independent · Combined — Academic 71/100
5. Brindabella Christian College
   Lyneham · Independent · Combined — Academic 69/100
6. Garran Primary School
   Garran · Government · Primary — Academic 69/100
7. St Thomas More's Primary School
   Campbell · Catholic · Primary — Academic 69/100
8. Sacred Heart Primary School
   Pearce · Catholic · Primary — Academic 69/100

Suburbs with the most schools in Canberra

• Queanbeyan (8 schools) · avg academic 46/100
• Wanniassa (5 schools) · avg academic 52/100
• Kaleen (4 schools) · avg academic 54/100
• Hawker (3 schools) · avg academic 56/100
• Lyneham (3 schools) · avg academic 65/100
• Nicholls (3 schools) · avg academic 56/100
• Red Hill (3 schools) · avg academic 62/100
• Narrabundah (3 schools) · avg academic 54/100
• Dickson (3 schools) · avg academic 65/100
• Kambah (3 schools) · avg academic 49/100

Schools in Canberra: a closer look

Canberra's school system is shaped by two distinctive features: a strong, well-funded government sector that attracts families who might choose independent schools in other capitals, and a college system that separates Years 11 and 12 into dedicated senior secondary institutions. This split means ACT high schools cover Years 7 to 10 only, after which students apply to a college of their choice. Narrabundah College, Dickson College, Hawker College and Lake Tuggeranong College each have distinct strengths, from Narrabundah's IB program and languages focus to Dickson's performing arts and Lake Tuggeranong's STEM offerings.

At the high school level, Alfred Deakin High School in the inner south and Canberra High School in Macquarie are the most sought-after government options, with Priority Enrolment Areas that directly influence property prices in Deakin, Yarralumla, Curtin and Red Hill. Telopea Park School operates as a bilingual French-English school from preschool through Year 10, drawing families from across Canberra who value its unique language immersion model.

The independent sector punches above its weight for a city of 470,000 people. Canberra Grammar School, Radford College, Burgmann Anglican School and Daramalan College all offer K-12 pathways. The ANU's presence means Canberra's parent population skews more tertiary-educated than any other Australian capital, which flows through to high engagement with school performance data and strong NAPLAN results across the board.

Gungahlin in the north is Canberra's fastest-growing district, with multiple new government schools opening over the past five years. Amaroo School, Gold Creek School and the recently expanded Harrison School serve this corridor. Across the city, Canberra's average NAPLAN scores sit above the national mean in every domain, reflecting both the demographic profile and the sustained investment in public education.