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 TAS. 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 · TAS · 50 suburbs

Best Schools — TAS

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

Leading suburb

TaroonaTAS

Leading value

1134

Runner-up

Sandy BayTAS

Updated

31 May 2026

Ranking

Best Schools

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

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 TAS, 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 Taroona and #2 Sandy Bay 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	Taroona	TAS	1134	2	3,121
2	Sandy Bay	TAS	1131	6	12,315
3	West Hobart	TAS	1121	2	6,525
4	Hobart	TAS	1097	2	3,390
5	Mount Nelson	TAS	1078	2	2,749
6	Huntingfield	TAS	1073	2	540
7	Bellerive	TAS	1064	4	4,945
8	Blackmans Bay	TAS	1058	2	7,688
9	North Hobart	TAS	1057	4	2,600
10	Lenah Valley	TAS	1056	2	6,522
11	Launceston	TAS	1054	5	3,110
12	Margate	TAS	1053	2	4,239
13	Lindisfarne	TAS	1048	2	6,639
14	Newstead	TAS	1042	5	5,617
15	Kingston	TAS	1037	4	12,288
16	Riverside	TAS	1031	4	7,326
17	New Town	TAS	1020	3	6,781
18	Richmond	TAS	1016	2	1,583
19	Burnie	TAS	1015	2	693
20	Mowbray	TAS	1010	2	4,048
21	Geilston Bay	TAS	1004	2	3,461
22	Moonah	TAS	1004	2	5,884
23	Howrah	TAS	1002	2	9,545
24	Norwood	TAS	976	2	3,869
25	Penguin	TAS	972	2	4,132
26	Invermay	TAS	970	3	3,498
27	Cooee	TAS	968	2	597
28	Latrobe	TAS	968	4	5,030
29	St Leonards	TAS	966	2	2,351
30	West Moonah	TAS	965	2	4,522
31	Ulverstone	TAS	963	5	6,653
32	Exeter	TAS	956	2	759
33	Warrane	TAS	954	2	2,695
34	Deloraine	TAS	952	4	3,035
35	Somerset	TAS	952	2	4,067
36	Glenorchy	TAS	950	5	12,013
37	Devonport	TAS	944	9	14,481
38	Wynyard	TAS	942	3	6,296
39	Geeveston	TAS	935	2	1,431
40	Rosetta	TAS	934	2	2,833
41	Claremont	TAS	930	5	8,397
42	Cygnet	TAS	928	2	1,742
43	Scottsdale	TAS	924	2	2,408
44	Brighton	TAS	916	2	4,983
45	New Norfolk	TAS	908	4	6,037
46	Rosebery	TAS	907	2	752
47	George Town	TAS	905	3	4,536
48	Huonville	TAS	905	2	3,002
49	Rokeby	TAS	905	3	4,211
50	Derwent Park	TAS	902	2	872

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 TAS. 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.