Best Wollongong suburbs for families with good primary schools
The suburb of Wollongong tops the ranking: 0 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 73 and 114 km of the Wollongong CBD.
This ranking scores every eligible Wollongong 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 Wollongong 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 Wollongong 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.
Wollongong
NSW 2500 · 20,446 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · very walkable
Woonona
NSW 2517 · 12,374 residents1/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Shell Cove
NSW 2529 · 7,591 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · car-dependent
Bulli
NSW 2516 · 6,798 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · somewhat walkable
Fairy Meadow
NSW 2519 · 7,512 residents0/3 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Figtree
NSW 2525 · 12,335 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · somewhat walkable
West Wollongong
NSW 2500 · 5,223 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Oak Flats
NSW 2529 · 6,840 residents0/2 above peer schools · below-average income · very walkable
Albion Park
NSW 2527 · 13,826 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · walkable
Warilla
NSW 2528 · 6,226 residents1/3 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Dapto
NSW 2530 · 10,954 residents1/2 above peer schools · below-average income · somewhat walkable
Berkeley
NSW 2506 · 7,798 residents1/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · walkable
Warrawong
NSW 2502 · 4,659 residents0/2 above peer schools · very advantaged area · very walkable
Ranked from 13 qualifying suburbs.
Best Wollongong suburbs for good private primary schools
Catholic and independent primary schools — includes standalone primaries and the primary component of K-12 combined schools.
West Wollongong
NSW 2500 · 5,223 residents0/2 above peer schools · advantaged area · walkable
Shellharbour
NSW 2529 · 3,520 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · walkable
Corrimal
NSW 2518 · 6,972 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · very walkable
Albion Park
NSW 2527 · 13,826 residents0/2 above peer schools · mid-range socio-economic · walkable
Unanderra
NSW 2526 · 5,476 residents0/5 above peer schools · below-average income · very walkable
Ranked from 5 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 Wollongong suburbs for families with good primary schools?
The suburb of Wollongong tops the ranking: 0 of its 2 schools rate above their ACARA peer group. The strongest results cluster between 73 and 114 km of the Wollongong CBD.
How is this ranking scored?
Each eligible Wollongong 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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