Best Schools in Cairns: Public & Private by Area

Cairns' school system provides families in far north Queensland with a mix of public, Catholic, and independent schools, with the Trinity Anglican School and St Augustine's College as the main independent anchors, a well-regarded Catholic Education office network, and the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries outpost providing a selective pathway for the highest-achieving students. The smaller market size relative to the southern capitals means less independent school choice but the public system in Cairns is generally well regarded.

Selective and specialist options — Cairns does not have a standalone selective public secondary school. The Queensland Academy options are located in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. However, Edge Hill State School (primary) consistently performs strongly on NAPLAN, and Smithfield State High School and Cairns State High School have academic excellence programs within their comprehensive enrolments.

Independent schools — Trinity Anglican School (Whitfield, coeducational) and St Augustine's College (Cairns CBD, boys) are the main independent options. Good Shepherd Lutheran College (Cairns) provides a mid-fee Lutheran alternative. Fees range from approximately $8,000 to $18,000 per year, significantly below the southern capital equivalents.

Catholic schools — Catholic Education Cairns operates 30+ schools across far north Queensland. St Monica's College (Cairns, coeducational secondary) and Mount Carmel College (Innisfail) are among the main Catholic secondary schools in the region. Fees are moderate and the schools are generally well regarded for the far north Queensland context.

Public schools by area — Edge Hill State School and the northern beaches state schools (Trinity Beach, Palm Cove) are among the highest-performing public primaries in the Cairns area. Cairns State High School (Manunda) is the largest public secondary school in far north Queensland.

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