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 NSW. 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.

← Best Schools

Ranking · NSW · 50 suburbs

Best Schools — NSW

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

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) — NSW

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 in NSW, 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	Northbridge	NSW	1176	2	6,493
8	Turramurra	NSW	1176	2	12,850
9	Gordon	NSW	1174	2	8,795
10	West Pymble	NSW	1174	2	5,441
11	Normanhurst	NSW	1170	3	5,387
12	Beecroft	NSW	1167	3	10,291
13	Mosman	NSW	1167	7	28,329
14	North Balgowlah	NSW	1167	2	3,816
15	Bellevue Hill	NSW	1166	3	10,590
16	North Curl Curl	NSW	1166	2	4,288
17	Paddington	NSW	1166	3	12,701
18	Balmain	NSW	1163	4	10,454
19	Pymble	NSW	1163	5	11,775
20	Rose Bay	NSW	1160	4	9,911
21	Stanmore	NSW	1160	3	7,619
22	Cammeray	NSW	1158	2	7,088
23	Summer Hill	NSW	1157	3	7,288
24	Coogee	NSW	1156	2	14,634
25	Lane Cove	NSW	1156	6	12,363
26	Cherrybrook	NSW	1155	4	19,082
27	Girraween	NSW	1153	3	6,256
28	Killara	NSW	1153	3	10,620
29	Balgowlah	NSW	1152	4	8,068
30	Willoughby	NSW	1152	3	7,124
31	Erskineville	NSW	1150	2	9,657
32	Potts Point	NSW	1150	2	7,183
33	Wahroonga	NSW	1150	9	17,853
34	Lindfield	NSW	1149	5	10,943
35	Petersham	NSW	1147	4	8,200
36	Drummoyne	NSW	1146	2	12,011
37	Waverley	NSW	1146	6	4,216
38	Forestville	NSW	1141	4	8,659
39	Killarney Heights	NSW	1141	2	4,502
40	Chatswood	NSW	1140	5	25,553
41	St Leonards	NSW	1140	3	7,212
42	Hunters Hill	NSW	1139	5	9,014
43	Thornleigh	NSW	1139	2	8,898
44	West Pennant Hills	NSW	1138	2	16,620
45	Rozelle	NSW	1137	2	8,553
46	Pennant Hills	NSW	1136	4	7,588
47	Manly	NSW	1134	5	16,296
48	North Parramatta	NSW	1134	6	12,064
49	Randwick	NSW	1132	12	28,943
50	Baulkham Hills	NSW	1131	9	37,415

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 NSW. 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.