Best Perth suburbs for families with good high schools
Claremont tops the ranking: 2 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 0 and 18 km of the Perth CBD. These 30 suburbs came from a field of 35 eligible Perth suburbs.
This ranking scores every eligible Perth 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 Perth 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 Perth 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.
Subiaco
WA 6008 · 9,940 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Willetton
WA 6155 · 19,262 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Leeming
WA 6149 · 10,883 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Shenton Park
WA 6008 · 4,638 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Duncraig
WA 6023 · 15,982 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Dianella
WA 6059 · 24,169 residents1/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Kensington
WA 6151 · 4,627 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Kalamunda
WA 6076 · 7,163 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Murdoch
WA 6150 · 3,352 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Morley
WA 6062 · 22,539 residents2/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · somewhat walkable
Bassendean
WA 6054 · 10,837 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Beldon
WA 6027 · 4,094 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Cannington
WA 6107 · 6,875 residents0/3 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Bentley
WA 6102 · 9,051 residents0/2 above peer schools · below-average income · walkable
Rockingham
WA 6168 · 15,312 residents0/2 above peer schools · below-average income · very walkable
Ranked from 17 qualifying suburbs.
Best Perth suburbs for good private high schools
Catholic and independent secondary schools — includes standalone secondaries and the secondary component of K-12 combined schools.
Claremont
WA 6010 · 9,248 residents2/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Perth
WA 6000 · 13,670 residents2/4 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Dianella
WA 6059 · 24,169 residents2/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Mount Claremont
WA 6010 · 4,999 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
East Perth
WA 6004 · 11,681 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
Jolimont
WA 6014 · 1,479 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Leederville
WA 6007 · 3,686 residents0/4 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Murdoch
WA 6150 · 3,352 residents1/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Mindarie
WA 6030 · 7,867 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Mosman Park
WA 6012 · 9,169 residents0/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Warwick
WA 6024 · 3,858 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Como
WA 6152 · 14,786 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Lesmurdie
WA 6076 · 8,413 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Fremantle
WA 6160 · 9,251 residents0/5 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Ranked from 35 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 high schools?
Claremont tops the ranking: 2 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 0 and 18 km of the Perth CBD. These 30 suburbs came from a field of 35 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
- Best Sydney suburbs for families with good high schools
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Related
Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
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