How does Best Schools rank suburbs?

It ranks suburbs by the average ICSEA of their schools, using ACARA school data. Suburbs need at least two schools to be included, so a single high-scoring school does not dominate the list.

What is ICSEA, and does a high score mean better teaching?

ICSEA is the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage. A higher score reflects a more socio-educationally advantaged school community — it is a context measure, not a direct rating of teaching quality or results.

Which states are included?

All states and territories with processed ACARA school data are included. Coverage depends on how many schools are matched to each suburb.

What should I do after opening this ranking?

Use the ranking as a screening step for Australia. Save realistic suburbs to your shortlist, compare the strongest two or three, then use suburb detail pages or the calculator to test the final candidate. On each suburb page you can also see individual schools and which ones operate a published enrolment zone.

← Rankings

Ranking · Australia · 50 suburbs

Best Schools

Top 50 suburbs by average school ICSEA (higher = more socio-educationally advantaged community, min 2 schools).

Leading suburb

DarlinghurstNSW

Leading value

1242

Runner-up

KirribilliNSW

Updated

31 May 2026

Ranking

Best Schools

Top 50 suburbs by average school ICSEA (higher = more socio-educationally advantaged community, min 2 schools) — Australia

50 results

All NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS ACT NT

How to read this ranking

Use best schools as a shortlist tool, then verify the finalists in detail.

BEST FOR

Finding which areas deserve a closer look first.

This ranking works best as a first-pass screen, especially when you need to reduce a wide field quickly.

READ IT AS

One signal in the workflow, not the whole answer.

A rank is useful because it compresses one dimension well, but it never replaces the fuller suburb-level picture.

NEXT STEP

Move into compare or suburb detail once a few names repeat.

Use the ranking to build a shortlist, then confirm whether those finalists still hold up on the rest of the data.

Intent pathway · LIVABILITY-LED

I want safer or higher-quality local context.

Start with area-level safety or school screens, then use suburb pages for services and evidence depth.

Crime, schools, and demographics are area-level signals; verify the suburb page before treating them as local proof.

OPEN SCHOOLS RANKING Reset to intent start

AVAILABLE evidence

Direct source-backed screen

This list ranks suburbs by average school ICSEA from ACARA, a community socio-educational advantage index rather than a teaching-quality measure. Use it to shortlist, then check individual schools and zones on suburb detail.

LIVABILITY-LED

Top candidates are local-quality ideas.

Use compare to test whether the livability signal still works once rent and income are included.

Shortlist flow

Use #1 Darlinghurst and #2 Kirribilli as the first compare pair.

Rankings are strongest when they hand you a shortlist quickly. Compare the top two first, then open suburb detail if the head-to-head result still feels narrow.

Compare top 2Open #1 detail Open #2 detail

# ▲	SUBURB	STATE	AVG ICSEA	SCHOOLS
1	Darlinghurst	NSW	1242	2	10,615
2	Kirribilli	NSW	1206	2	3,629
3	Woollahra	NSW	1187	3	7,189
4	North Sydney	NSW	1183	5	8,964
5	Roseville	NSW	1182	2	10,340
6	Crows Nest	NSW	1178	3	4,974
7	Clifton Hill	VIC	1178	2	6,606
8	Nedlands	WA	1177	2	10,561
9	Northbridge	NSW	1176	2	6,493
10	Turramurra	NSW	1176	2	12,850
11	Claremont	WA	1176	4	9,248
12	Subiaco	WA	1176	3	9,940
13	Glen Iris	VIC	1175	6	26,131
14	Gordon	NSW	1174	2	8,795
15	West Pymble	NSW	1174	2	5,441
16	Armadale	VIC	1173	3	9,368
17	Bardon	QLD	1173	4	10,153
18	Floreat	WA	1171	2	8,621
19	Normanhurst	NSW	1170	3	5,387
20	Toorak	VIC	1169	4	12,817
21	Beecroft	NSW	1167	3	10,291
22	Mosman	NSW	1167	7	28,329
23	North Balgowlah	NSW	1167	2	3,816
24	Bellevue Hill	NSW	1166	3	10,590
25	North Curl Curl	NSW	1166	2	4,288
26	Paddington	NSW	1166	3	12,701
27	Fitzroy North	VIC	1166	5	12,781
28	Balmain	NSW	1163	4	10,454
29	Pymble	NSW	1163	5	11,775
30	Burwood	VIC	1163	3	15,147
31	Mount Claremont	WA	1163	4	4,999
32	Toowong	QLD	1162	6	12,556
33	Ivanhoe	VIC	1161	5	13,374
34	Rose Bay	NSW	1160	4	9,911
35	Stanmore	NSW	1160	3	7,619
36	Canterbury	VIC	1160	6	7,800
37	Kew	VIC	1160	11	24,499
38	Surrey Hills	VIC	1159	4	13,655
39	City Beach	WA	1159	5	6,805
40	Cammeray	NSW	1158	2	7,088
41	Bull Creek	WA	1158	3	8,030
42	Summer Hill	NSW	1157	3	7,288
43	Coogee	NSW	1156	2	14,634
44	Lane Cove	NSW	1156	6	12,363
45	Ashgrove	QLD	1156	5	13,450
46	Peppermint Grove	WA	1156	2	1,597
47	Cherrybrook	NSW	1155	4	19,082
48	Alphington	VIC	1155	3	5,702
49	Applecross	WA	1154	2	7,228
50	Girraween	NSW	1153	3	6,256

FAQ

Australian best schools FAQ

How does Best Schools rank suburbs?

It ranks suburbs by the average ICSEA of their schools, using ACARA school data. Suburbs need at least two schools to be included, so a single high-scoring school does not dominate the list.
What is ICSEA, and does a high score mean better teaching?

ICSEA is the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage. A higher score reflects a more socio-educationally advantaged school community — it is a context measure, not a direct rating of teaching quality or results.
Which states are included?

All states and territories with processed ACARA school data are included. Coverage depends on how many schools are matched to each suburb.
What should I do after opening this ranking?

Use the ranking as a screening step for Australia. Save realistic suburbs to your shortlist, compare the strongest two or three, then use suburb detail pages or the calculator to test the final candidate. On each suburb page you can also see individual schools and which ones operate a published enrolment zone.