1,102 schools listed in Melbourne. average academic score 59/100.
Melbourne's school system runs on two parallel tracks that shape how families think about education. The first is Victoria's selective-entry system: four government schools that admit students state-wide by entrance exam. Melbourne High School in South Yarra and MacRobertson Girls' High School in Albert Park take Year 9 entry, while Nossal High School in Berwick and Suzanne Cory High School in Werribee serve the outer suburbs with Year 9 intake. Competition for these 1,000-odd places is fierce, and a cottage industry of tutoring centres in Box Hill, Glen Waverley and Clayton exists largely to prepare students for the exam.
The second track is the zone-based government system, where catchment boundaries drive real estate decisions in a way that is hard to overstate. Glen Waverley Secondary College, Balwyn High School, McKinnon Secondary College, Box Hill High School and Vermont Secondary College are the most sought-after comprehensives, and properties inside their zones regularly sell at premiums of 15 to 30 percent over identical homes a street outside the boundary. NAPLAN results for these schools consistently sit well above state medians.
Melbourne's independent sector is anchored by the APS (Associated Public Schools) and GSV (Girls Sport Victoria) traditions. Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar, Xavier College, MLC, PLC, Lauriston and Korowa occupy the inner eastern and southern suburbs from Hawthorn to St Kilda. Wesley College spans three campuses. Catholic regional colleges like Mazenod, Salesian and Simonds serve the outer east and north.
The western and northern growth corridors from Wyndham through Melton to Hume are where new government schools are opening fastest. Suburbs like Tarneit, Truganina, Craigieburn and Mickleham have seen multiple new primary and secondary schools open since 2020, though demand continues to outstrip capacity in several areas.