Best Toowoomba suburbs for families with good primary schools
Centenary Heights tops the ranking: 1 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 123 and 140 km of the Toowoomba CBD.
This ranking scores every eligible Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba 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.
Newtown
QLD 4350 · 10,039 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Wilsonton
QLD 4350 · 5,891 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Ranked from 2 qualifying suburbs.
Best Toowoomba suburbs for good private primary schools
Catholic and independent primary schools — includes standalone primaries and the primary component of K-12 combined schools.
Centenary Heights
QLD 4350 · 6,152 residents1/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Newtown
QLD 4350 · 10,039 residents3/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
East Toowoomba
QLD 4350 · 5,953 residents0/5 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Highfields
QLD 4352 · 8,568 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · car-dependent
Harristown
QLD 4350 · 9,081 residents2/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Westbrook
QLD 4350 · 4,408 residents1/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · car-dependent
Glenvale
QLD 4350 · 8,120 residents1/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · somewhat walkable
Ranked from 7 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 Toowoomba suburbs for families with good primary schools?
Centenary Heights tops the ranking: 1 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 123 and 140 km of the Toowoomba CBD.
How is this ranking scored?
Each eligible Toowoomba 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 primary schools
- Best Melbourne suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Brisbane suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Perth suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Adelaide suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Hobart suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Darwin suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Canberra suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Newcastle suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Central Coast suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Sunshine Coast suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Gold Coast suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Wollongong suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Geelong suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Townsville suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Busselton suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Ballarat suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Cairns suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Albany suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Ballina suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Geraldton suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Warragul suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Bundaberg suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Launceston suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Bendigo suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Rockhampton suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Mackay suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Albury – Wodonga suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Camden Haven suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Burnie suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Wagga Wagga suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Coffs Harbour suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Alice Springs suburbs for families with good primary schools
- Best Mount Isa suburbs for families with good primary schools
Related
Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏