Best Adelaide suburbs for families with good high schools
The suburb of Adelaide tops the ranking: 2 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 1 and 19 km of the Adelaide CBD.
This ranking scores every eligible Adelaide suburb on the share of secondary-school students at schools that outperform their ACARA peer group, adjusted for socio-economic advantage, walkability, and safety. Public and private results are ranked separately since the buyer decisions differ.
For each Adelaide suburb we compute the share of high-school enrolments at schools rated above their ACARA peer group, blended with the ABS SEIFA socio-economic index, OpenStreetMap walkability, and a composite safety score. The share is Bayesian-smoothed so a suburb with two-of-two above-peer schools can't leapfrog a suburb with eight-of-ten. A small volume bonus rewards suburbs offering more school choice — families weighing multiple secondary options value optionality that a single-school suburb can't deliver.
Best Adelaide suburbs for good public high schools
Public/government-sector secondary schools — includes standalone secondaries and the secondary component of K-12 government schools within the suburb boundary.
Adelaide
SA 5000 · 18,202 residents2/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Netherby
SA 5062 · 1,510 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Marden
SA 5070 · 2,645 residents1/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Plympton
SA 5038 · 5,459 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Paradise
SA 5075 · 7,217 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Findon
SA 5023 · 6,997 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Salisbury North
SA 5108 · 10,683 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Elizabeth
SA 5112 · 1,033 residents0/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Christie Downs
SA 5164 · 5,239 residents0/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Taperoo
SA 5017 · 3,250 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Ranked from 10 qualifying suburbs.
Best Adelaide suburbs for good private high schools
Catholic and independent secondary schools — includes standalone secondaries and the secondary component of K-12 combined schools.
Kensington Park
SA 5068 · 2,627 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Prospect
SA 5082 · 14,584 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Mile End
SA 5031 · 4,536 residents1/3 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
South Plympton
SA 5038 · 4,721 residents1/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Adelaide
SA 5000 · 18,202 residents1/12 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Aldgate
SA 5154 · 3,471 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Marion
SA 5043 · 4,101 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Flinders Park
SA 5025 · 5,489 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Golden Grove
SA 5125 · 10,299 residents1/3 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Blakeview
SA 5114 · 8,979 residents1/2 above peer schools · below-average income · walkable
Gilles Plains
SA 5086 · 4,101 residents0/2 above peer schools · below-average income · very walkable
Mount Barker
SA 5251 · 18,330 residents0/4 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · walkable
Belair
SA 5052 · 4,718 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very car-dependent
Mitchell Park
SA 5043 · 5,754 residents0/3 above peer schools · below-average income · very walkable
Elizabeth
SA 5112 · 1,033 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Ranked from 18 qualifying suburbs.
40% share of schools above their peer group · 20% socio-economic advantage (SEIFA) · 25% walkability · 15% safety (bushfire, crime, flood risks combined). Plus a small volume bonus rewarding suburbs offering more school choice. See how we calculate for the full methodology.
Common questions about this ranking
What are the best Adelaide suburbs for families with good high schools?
The suburb of Adelaide tops the ranking: 2 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 1 and 19 km of the Adelaide CBD.
How is this ranking scored?
Each eligible Adelaide suburb is scored on four factors: 40% share of schools rated above their ACARA peer group (Bayesian-smoothed so a tiny suburb with 2/2 can't outrank a suburb with 8/10), 20% ABS SEIFA socio-economic advantage, 25% OpenStreetMap-derived walkability, and 15% safety (bushfire, crime and flood risks combined). A small volume bonus rewards suburbs offering more school choice.
Why are public and private schools ranked separately?
Buyer decisions differ: parents choosing between government-sector primary schools weigh very different factors from parents choosing between Catholic and independent schools. Blending the two hides the signal a reader is actually looking for, so we publish both lists on the same page.
Which suburbs are eligible for the ranking?
To appear on the list, a suburb needs at least 2 qualifying schools inside its boundary and a resident population of at least 500. Suburbs that fall below either threshold are excluded — not penalised — so the ranking isn't dominated by tiny, high-signal outliers.
How often is this list updated?
The top 15 is recomputed automatically after each ACARA schools data refresh, so the ranking reflects the most recent published NAPLAN-adjusted peer comparisons. See the footer of this page for the last computed date.
Same list in other cities
- Best Sydney suburbs for families with good high schools
- Best Melbourne suburbs for families with good high schools
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Related
Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
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