Best Perth suburbs for families with good primary schools
Mount Lawley tops the ranking: 2 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 3 and 22 km of the Perth CBD. These 30 suburbs came from a field of 88 eligible Perth suburbs.
This ranking scores every eligible Perth suburb on the share of primary-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 Perth suburb we compute the share of primary-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 — parents with two children in different year levels value optionality that a single-school suburb can't deliver.
Best Perth suburbs for good public primary schools
Public/government-sector primary schools — includes K-6 schools and the primary component of K-12 government schools within the suburb boundary.
Willetton
WA 6155 · 19,262 residents3/4 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Canning Vale
WA 6155 · 34,504 residents5/6 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Bull Creek
WA 6149 · 8,030 residents2/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Nedlands
WA 6009 · 10,561 residents2/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Wembley
WA 6014 · 12,061 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Duncraig
WA 6023 · 15,982 residents2/4 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Leeming
WA 6149 · 10,883 residents2/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Manning
WA 6152 · 4,219 residents2/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Noranda
WA 6062 · 8,002 residents2/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Coolbinia
WA 6050 · 1,751 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Karrinyup
WA 6018 · 9,886 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Mount Hawthorn
WA 6016 · 8,183 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Beaconsfield
WA 6162 · 5,315 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
North Perth
WA 6006 · 9,623 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Padbury
WA 6025 · 8,626 residents2/5 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Ranked from 88 qualifying suburbs.
Best Perth suburbs for good private primary schools
Catholic and independent primary schools — includes standalone primaries and the primary component of K-12 combined schools.
Mount Lawley
WA 6050 · 11,328 residents2/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Claremont
WA 6010 · 9,248 residents2/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Victoria Park
WA 6100 · 9,334 residents2/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Willetton
WA 6155 · 19,262 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Dianella
WA 6059 · 24,169 residents3/4 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Karrinyup
WA 6018 · 9,886 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Wembley
WA 6014 · 12,061 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Mount Claremont
WA 6010 · 4,999 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Attadale
WA 6156 · 6,638 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Mindarie
WA 6030 · 7,867 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
South Perth
WA 6151 · 12,596 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Mosman Park
WA 6012 · 9,169 residents0/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Padbury
WA 6025 · 8,626 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Fremantle
WA 6160 · 9,251 residents0/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Como
WA 6152 · 14,786 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Ranked from 37 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 Perth suburbs for families with good primary schools?
Mount Lawley tops the ranking: 2 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 3 and 22 km of the Perth CBD. These 30 suburbs came from a field of 88 eligible Perth suburbs.
How is this ranking scored?
Each eligible Perth 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
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Related
Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
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