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 WA. 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 · WA · 50 suburbs

Best Schools — WA

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

Leading suburb

NedlandsWA

Leading value

1177

Runner-up

ClaremontWA

Updated

31 May 2026

Ranking

Best Schools

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

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 WA, 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 Nedlands and #2 Claremont 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	Nedlands	WA	1177	2	10,561
2	Claremont	WA	1176	4	9,248
3	Subiaco	WA	1176	3	9,940
4	Floreat	WA	1171	2	8,621
5	Mount Claremont	WA	1163	4	4,999
6	City Beach	WA	1159	5	6,805
7	Bull Creek	WA	1158	3	8,030
8	Peppermint Grove	WA	1156	2	1,597
9	Applecross	WA	1154	2	7,228
10	Wembley Downs	WA	1148	2	6,743
11	Rossmoyne	WA	1141	2	3,638
12	Swanbourne	WA	1139	2	4,592
13	Ardross	WA	1134	2	4,578
14	Attadale	WA	1134	3	6,638
15	Mount Lawley	WA	1134	4	11,328
16	North Perth	WA	1134	2	9,623
17	Perth	WA	1130	2	13,670
18	Doubleview	WA	1123	2	9,205
19	South Perth	WA	1122	4	12,596
20	Bateman	WA	1121	2	3,832
21	Fremantle	WA	1121	6	9,251
22	Mosman Park	WA	1121	5	9,169
23	Churchlands	WA	1118	2	3,638
24	Highgate	WA	1117	2	2,326
25	Inglewood	WA	1117	2	5,837
26	Carine	WA	1114	2	7,330
27	Palmyra	WA	1114	2	7,585
28	Karrinyup	WA	1112	5	9,886
29	Sorrento	WA	1112	2	7,795
30	Duncraig	WA	1110	6	15,982
31	Shenton Park	WA	1109	3	4,638
32	Como	WA	1104	4	14,786
33	Riverton	WA	1103	3	6,078
34	Victoria Park	WA	1103	4	9,334
35	Scarborough	WA	1102	2	17,605
36	Darlington	WA	1100	2	3,725
37	Hillarys	WA	1100	2	11,200
38	North Beach	WA	1100	2	3,689
39	Willetton	WA	1096	7	19,262
40	Melville	WA	1095	2	6,204
41	Mount Hawthorn	WA	1094	2	8,183
42	Wembley	WA	1094	5	12,061
43	Bibra Lake	WA	1093	3	5,892
44	Manning	WA	1092	3	4,219
45	Leeming	WA	1091	5	10,883
46	Harrisdale	WA	1089	4	11,667
47	Coolbinia	WA	1086	2	1,751
48	Canning Vale	WA	1081	8	34,504
49	Glen Forrest	WA	1080	2	2,789
50	Woodvale	WA	1076	4	9,579

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 WA. 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.