We have many ways to determine what's best, including which schools to send our children to. For some, it's about convenience and the programs a school offers their learners. Others take a data-driven approach to deciding what will best meet their needs. We can't speak to anyone's personal preferences, so we present the top 10 primary schools in Brisbane, according to their rankings.
| 🏫School name | 🔎Internet search volume | 📊SEA percentage | 💹NAPLAN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnybank Hills State School | 700 | 89 | 533.3 |
| Ashgrove State School | 600 | 98 | 502.4 |
| Indooroopilly State School | 1 600 | 98 | 507.7 |
| Rainworth State School | 800 | 99 | 523 |
| Fig Tree Pocket State School | 600 | 97 | 498 |
| Brisbane Grammar School | 4 600 | 99 | 573 |
| St Margaret's Anglican Girls School | 800 | 96 | 521.8 |
| Somerville House | 3900 | 99 | 513.1 |
| Anglican Church Grammar School | 1 100 | 98 | 506.6 |
| Brisbane Boys' College | 1 900 | 96 | 506.7 |
Top Primary Schools in Brisbane: Public Schools
Public schools are the logical first consideration for Brisbane parents looking for primary schools. We pay for them with our tax dollars. They are (more or less) evenly distributed throughout population centres. Households are assigned a guaranteed place in the school nearest to them.
Some families go so far as to choose which neighbourhood to live in based on the local school's rankings.
Of course, families are not limited to enrolment in schools within their containment zone. They may cast about for better educational opportunities elsewhere. But, maybe you don't need to consider such drastic moves. These are the best primary schools in Brisbane, is one of them near you?
Sunnybank Hills State School
Sunnybank is a rather large learning facility, that welcomes 1 742 students (914 boys, 828 girls) to lessons each day. One hundred sixteen teachers oversee students' efforts, aided by 51 non-teaching staff. Of the student body, 84% hail from a background whose language is other than English.
This school enjoys representation from more than 50 cultures.
You'd be correct to guess that language support is one of this school's big pluses. Others include technology learning - coding and robotics, arts training (dancing and music), and sports. All of that, on top of stellar academic achievement!
Ashgrove State School
At less than half the size of Sunnybank's student body, Ashgrove's 671 students (352 boys, 319 girls) have more room to enjoy this campus' amenities. They include:
- swimming pool
- air-conditioned classrooms
- library and resource centre
- integrated technology suites
- Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program
- after-school care
In the rankings, Ashgrove stands midrange; neither above, nor below average, in any standard. Seventy-seven per cent of the student body comes from English-speaking households. We might conclude that this school lacks the multicultural perspective. But everything else on offer makes it comparable to Sydney's top primary schools.
Indooroopilly State School
This state school first opened its doors in 1889. Today, it still practises educational excellence, teaching its 1 408 students (715 boys, 693 girls) academic and practical skills.
Most Indooroopilly students come from economically advantaged households, where English is not the first language.
Rainworth State School
As we rambled through the city looking for top primary schools in Brisbane, it struck us that many such facilities enjoy a long history. Rainworth has been educating primary students, from the prep years to Year 6 (Prep-6) for nearly 100 years. Try as we might, we found no such historic primary school in Perth.
This school is especially proud of its community connections. It works in service to its community, preparing students to become valuable community members.
Any parent looking for a comprehensive Arts program should consider enrolment in Rainworth. This facility offers music lessons, as well as education in dance, drama and other visual arts. That doesn't mean these teachers skimp on academic learning, though. You'll find the full Australian Curriculum in force at Rainworth.
Fig Tree Pocket State School
As its name implies, Fig Tree is quite small: only 483 students (258 boys, 225 girls) grace its halls. Thirty-seven teachers guide their learning, with 20 assistants. With such a student-teacher ratio, you can rest assured that your child will receive the guidance and attention they need.
This educational method prioritises investigation and problem-solving.
This Prep-6 school administers the Australian Curriculum, but with a twist. The main teaching methodology at Fig Tree is inquiry-based learning. This leads pupils to develop critical thinking skills, and encourages intellectual curiosity. The best primary schools in Adelaide take this approach, too.
Best Primary Schools in Brisbane
Before we reveal Brisbane's top independent schools, let's take a minute to talk about defining 'best'. As mentioned in this article's introduction, everyone has their own meaning of what 'best' represents. In terms of primary schools, that could mean anything from how far kids have to walk to school, to after-school care programs.
Across Australia, parents searching for primary schools have different goals in mind. Some, who work long hours, need before- and after-care programs, so their children won't sit at home, alone.
Parents of special-needs learners must make sure their child's school has the programs and accessibility for their learners. And, the list goes on.
- Families with a strong religious foundation want a curriculum that will reinforce their beliefs.
- An older sibling attends a school that parents want their younger child to attend.
- Children with aptitude in a specific area (languages, maths/science, sports, arts) need programs to develop those talents.
- Speakers of other languages, ESOL students, must have teachers who can help them develop English language skills.
- Families from other cultures want their children to learn in an inclusive environment.
- Economically disadvantaged families require the best educational initiatives at the lowest cost.
It's not likely that any school will check every box parents include on their list of school 'wants'. The only way to ensure most of those wants are satisfied is by visiting the schools, and talking to the teachers.
Relying on rankings only tells you about the school's academic potential. They say nothing about the school's environment, amenities, or its potential to help your child's development.
For one purpose, rankings are a big help. These data can steer you to the schools with the most academic promise. Once you visit them, you can see for yourself whether the students are happy and well-adjusted. You'll know firsthand about class sizes, sports facilities, and whether your child can study music and art.
To be sure, getting a snapshot of a prospective school's academic performance is a good idea. However, relying on rankings to pick your child's school leaves most of your questions unanswered. After all, data says nothing about how happy your child will be to learn there. With that said, we continue exposing top primary schools in Brisbane.
Top Brisbane Primary Schools: Independent Schools
It's quite handy that Brisbane-area public schools proclaim their affiliation by including 'state' in their names. Independent and private schools are a different matter, though. One can't tell the difference between the two, unless you do a little digging.
Independent schools follow government education standards, to some extent.
Private schools are free to design their curriculum, and admission standards, as they see fit.
With that distinction made clear, we list five of Brisbane's top primary schools, according to their standing in the ranks.
Brisbane Grammar School
By all accounts, this independent school ranks the highest in the Brisbane area. With 4 600 internet searches, it is apparently the school that people are most curious about. And, with a 573 NAPLAN (Year 5), it's clear that this school's academic standing is unrivalled.
Though rated a top primary school, this facility only admits students for Year 5 to Year 12.
If your son is preparing for his Year 5 learning journey, you might investigate Brisbane Grammar School. This non-denominational school balances academics against cultural and sport activities. This school strives to give its pupils the best, well-rounded education in the Brisbane area.
St Margaret's Anglican Girls School
This all-girls' school rivals the Grammar school, both in size, and in amenities. However, St Margaret's is a true primary school, welcoming students from Prep-years through Year 12.
Admittedly, secondary school pupils outnumber primary school enrollees, by about 2:1.
Somerville House
This Prep-12 school welcomes girls as boarders or day students. It offers a religion-based curriculum, alongside many enrichment activities. Such includes sports, community engagement, and study of the Arts.
Somerville House educates girls within a Christian framework to pursue excellence in all fields of endeavour.
From the school's prospectus
Anglican Church Grammar School
You might have noted, by now, that all the top Brisbane primary schools have their foundations in religion. Not even Melbourne primary schools offer such a diversity of religion-based education! It seems the Brisbane religious school have found the formula for success. This Anglican school is a fine example of such.
Student body: 1887, all boys
Staff: 171 teachers; 105 support staff
Reach: Prep-12
Programs: sports, culture studies, community initiatives
Brisbane Boys' College
This Prep-12 boys' school opened its doors in 1902, but these administrators don't long for the 'good ole days'. They know the world is changing fast, so they're educating their pupils to lead that charge.
In all, it appears that Brisbane's top independent schools resist co-educational learning. The schools we visited were all-boys, or all-girls, and most of them touted their religious credentials. That rather begs the question: don't parents want independent school options that are non-religious, and welcoming to all? The Canberra-area primary schools we toured seemed to think so.
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