You sure want to know the list of high schools in Darwin and what sets these schools apart from the rest.
Believe it or not, you made the right choice of search, it only means you know the value of a good education and what this means to a youngster and his future.
A few seconds into this article, you will see the school offering the International Baccalaureate program; and will also find schools offering high-demand skills and widely recognized certifications like photography, computational and logical skills, engineering, aircraft line management, business management, and tons of many relevant skills.
You will also find top schools with students scoring A+ regularly in NTCET exams and all graduating candidates getting a 100% pass-out rate.
Check Also: List of Private Schools in Perth
You know what, this is not to make any school feel bossy here; we are only helping you make the right choice depending on if you want skills and excellence for your wards.
What’s more, the Catholic schools in Darwin are also here to give students high moral standards, give students excellent educational experiences, and increase their skillset.
Also, many of these schools offer a handful of certification programs and courses to young learners and vibrant adults who wish to improve their skills and monetize with them.
This article is ideal for Australian residents and foreign nationals who are probably planning to move to the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia.
You need to know the choices readily available at your disposal and which is best for you to pick.
The city of Darwin takes education and well-being as sisters. That is why schools in Darwin engage students in various co-curricular activities, including sports; thereby, allowing pupils the freedom to express themselves through several talents and skills in the areas students see fit.
Are you looking for the best high schools in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia?
This article will help you find the top 10 leading Darwin high schools.
Table of Contents
List of High Schools in Darwin, NT, Australia
| NAME | GENDER | YEARS |
|---|---|---|
| Darwin High School | Co-ed | 10 – 12 |
| Haileybury Rendall School | Co-ed | 7 – 12 |
| O’Loughlin Catholic College Darwin | Co-ed | 7 – 12 |
| Good Shepherd Lutheran College | Co-ed | 3 – 12 |
| Mackillop Catholic College | Co-ed | 7 – 12 |
| Casuarina Senior College | Co-ed | 10 – 12 |
| Darwin Middle School | Co-ed | 7 – 9 |
| Sanderson Middle School | Co-ed | 7 – 9 |
| Nightcliff Middle School | Co-ed | 7 – 9 |
| Dripstone Middle School | Co-ed | 7 – 9 |
List of Middle and High Schools in Darwin, Australia
Darwin High School
| YEARS | 10 – 12 |
| PHONE | +61 (08) 8999 1222 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | Bullocky Point, The Gardens NT 0820 |
| WEBSITE | darwinhigh.nt.edu.au |
Darwin High School is one of a few institutions that demonstrate its high quality of education through its students’ track record of excellent results.
DHS is an Independent Public School (IPS) catering to students between Year 10 to Year 12.
The school is renowned for its broad co-curricular program that takes the student beyond the scope of classroom activities.
Darwin High operates a world-class student-centered curriculum, and the school’s programs and facilities allow the students to get maximum results from the school. The programs and facilities include:
- It’s the Centre for Excellence in Science and Mathematics
- a vibrant and renowned Arts program, including Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts
- An extensive selection of English and Humanities courses
- Languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Indonesian and Modern Greek, and an Intensive English Unit engaging Business, Technology, and Enterprise courses
- State-of-the-art commercial kitchens and a café
- An exciting and adventurous Physical Education and Outdoor Education program.
International Students Program
The good part of this for international students is this; with the school’s over 30 years of experience, the school has intensive English courses for this category and specially designed outdoor education programs that will give you that unique Australian experience.
International students can apply at the Department of Education or via this link.
School Sports
The school boasts advanced sports facilities. And as a winner of multiple awards takes sports seriously.
Students enjoy a wide range of sports activities, including Basketball, Netball, Cross-country, Soccer, Golf, Volleyball, Table tennis, Orienteering, Squash, Swimming, and Beach Volleyball.
Students Well-being
Every member of the school community at Darwin High School naturally looks out for each other’s interests.
And, the school has, before now, already put systems in place that protect the well-being of every child.
Haileybury Rendall School
| YEARS | 7 – 12 |
| PHONE | +61 8 8922 1611 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | 6057 Berrimah Road, Berrimah NT, 0828 |
| WEBSITE | haileyburyrendall.com.au |
With over four campuses, Haileybury Rendall School has made a significant impact that will be hard to forget in quite a long time.
As a school that understands the physical and psychological benefits of physical exercise, it provides Health and Physical Education as part of its curriculum from the Early Learning Centre to Year 9.
The school is also firmly committed to educating Indigenous students from remote Australian communities.
Haileybury Rendall School continues to run a vision to ensure that Indigenous students access a high-quality secondary education.
At Haileybury Rendall School, learning goes beyond the classroom to become an experience.
You know what it means to say: “put your stuff in a backpack as we shall be going out for an adventure” to ever-excited students who must have been asking themselves how what they have learned applies to life and nature.
The school understands that not everyone deserves the quality education they always imagine, but one does not have to spend a fortune to get it.
Hence the school provides scholarships at differing levels to students on easy-to-meet criteria.
Apart from the near-perfect academic experience students enjoyed, they also acquired various skills and expertise in visual arts, sports, performing arts, and music.
O’Loughlin Catholic College Darwin
| YEARS | 7 – 12 |
| PHONE | 08 89451277 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | 70 Mueller Rd, Karama 0812 NT |
| WEBSITE | oloughlin.nt.edu.au |
O’Loughlin Catholic College is an independent co-educational institution situated in Mueller Road, Karama, in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Since its inception, the College has focused on nurturing learners and their potential and building students who will serve the community better with love and faith.
Specialized Learning & Enrichment Program
O’Loughlin Catholic College constantly engages its students in competitions that improve their literacy and numeracy skills, coupled with computational and algorithmic thinking skills like the Australian Mathematics Competition.
Every student at the school belongs to a house, a sporting group that imparts sports skills to the youngsters, thereby helping them to get the chance to feature at the swimming and athletics Carnival.
O’Loughlin Catholic College offers a co-educational school system to pupils from Year 7 to Year 12.
O’Loughlin Catholic College tuition fees for Years 7, 8, 9, and 10 are $2,564 and $3,762 for Years 11 and 12.
Fees are issued in Semester 1 and Semester 2 and are subject to amendment by the Catholic Education Office of the Northern Territory – on an annual basis.
Good Shepherd Lutheran College
| YEARS | 3 – 12 |
| PHONE | 08 8983 0300 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | Cnr Whitewood Rd & Kundook Pl, Howard Springs NT 0835 |
| WEBSITE | goodshepherd.nt.edu.au |
Driven by enthusiastic minds and the goal to bring out the best in every child through its high standards – both students and educators are the embodiment of excellence.
The school gives a holistic approach both spiritually, academically, and socially.
Good Shepherd Lutheran College offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme while encouraging its students to look at the bigger picture and strive to get to the peak of their pursuit and have a good beginning.
100% Success Rate At NTCET
Good Shepherd Lutheran College has consistently recorded 100% success in many NTCET sittings.
And, it has, for that reason, earned its reputation as one of the best high schools in Darwin as its consistent excellent performance reflects the quality of productive input coming in from the staff.
The well-being of students is taken as a matter of high priority as it can, directly and indirectly, influence what the learning outcomes can become for every student.
Hence the teachers, students, and parents collectively work together that the well-being of every member of the school community is positive.
The school offers excellent services across all levels beginning from early learning classes to middle school classes way up to Year 12.
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
The Vocational and educational training helps students be well equipped with skills for their industry of interest and offers certification ultimately.
Mackillop Catholic College
| YEARS | 7 – 12 |
| PHONE | 08 8930 5757 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | 285 Farrar Boulevard, Johnston,NT 0832 |
| WEBSITE | mackillopnt.catholic.edu.au |
Mackillop Catholic College is a Year 7 to Year 12 institution aimed at giving children a quality education while maintaining good morals to produce people of excellence in society and at the same time make the students ready with skills that are in high demand.
In addition to its high-quality education and educators, the College community fosters students’ values, respect, courage, inclusivity, integrity, and compassion.
Starting from Year 7 to Year 12, education can only bring an unforgettable experience.
The Vocational and Education Training brings each child to a point where they gain self-confidence with the knowledge of business, interpersonal and employment-related skills needed for the future.
MacKillop Catholic College is one of a few private Darwin high schools, offering a wide range of skills and non-skills acquisition courses for adult learners.
To make the child well-grounded. The College also offers a gifted and talented program, an initiative where students learn relevant skills beyond what is generally accessible.
This Program involved solar car building, virtual reality, drone programs, chess competitions, etc.
Mackillop Catholic School Scholarships
MacKillop Catholic College provides a 50% off fees scholarship for students coming into Year 7.
Also, there is visual arts scholarship, sports scholarship, Year 9 into Year 10 scholarship, and performing arts scholarship.
Casuarina Senior College
| YEARS | 10 – 12 |
| PHONE | (08) 8983 7300 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | 61 Parer Dr, Casuarina NT 0811, 0800 Darwin |
| WEBSITE | casuarinaseniorcollege.com.au |
Casuarina Senior College, often abbreviated with CSC, has an amazingly supportive environment. It is home to every student irrespective of culture, individual ability or inability, and learning pace.
The College, founded in 1974, has, in the past years, helped to boost the performance and confidence of the students. Many of whom in Year 10 felt disengaged and underperforming.
Beginning from a student’s first day at Casuarina Senior College, the learner takes full responsibility to earn credits for the NTCET.
The benefit of this is that the student will have good standing for further studies or employment.
Casuarina Clontarf Academy (Males Only)
The Casuarina Clontarf Academy, established for Aboriginal male students, is an initiative that aims to bring out the best in every child.
The participating members enjoy sporting activities like basketball, cricket, and rugby.
Via this platform, the students form a good bond with the community and businesses within the local community through community services such as gardening initiatives, community fundraising, workplace visits, leadership programs, and employment-ready activities.
Stars Academy (Females Only)
It is a program that helps females to aim and achieve their full potential and to have healthy well-being in all areas. This in-school mentorship is for all Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander females.
CSC also involves other extracurricular activities like the community engagement activities like:
- The bombing of Darwin Commemoration
- ANZAC Day Dawn Service
- Anti-Bullying Day
- Biggest Morning Tea
- Casuarina Senior College Free Community Movie Under the Stars
- Remembrance Day Service
- R U OK? Day
The school also participates regularly in competitions such as
- Plain English Speaking and Debating Competitions
- Business and Stock Exchange Competitions
- Science Competitions including ICAS, Brain Bee, Science and Engineering Challenge, *Titration Competition, Rio Tinto Big Science Competition, Youth Science Forum, and Australian Biology Olympiad
- ICAS Mathematics and Computing
- Interschool sports competitions coordinated by NT School Sport.
Middle Schools in Darwin
Darwin Middle School
| YEARS | 7 – 9 |
| PHONE | 08 8942 5200 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | Atkins Drive The Gardens NT 0820 |
| WEBSITE | darwinmiddle.nt.edu.au |
Being part of the Darwin Middle School means being in an environment that caters to the academic and social needs of the youngster.
Darwin Middle School is an independent public school for students from year 7 to year 9 males and females.
At Darwin, learning is part of everything. And, every child knows the importance of why they must participate in every class activity and how classroom experience applies to everyday life through the school’s unique teaching model, E.L.P.A.R.
Darwin Middle School prides itself as the performing arts and science capital of the Northern Territory and merits this in practice.
The school’s Arts building includes two dedicated art spaces with indoor and outdoor workspaces and a pottery kiln.
Its Performing Arts classrooms include three instrument rehearsal rooms and a classroom plus a music sound/mixing room and a staging area with lights and sound.
During Year 9, every student is allowed to develop their skills for the work environment through the Vocational and Education Training program run by the school.
However, this does not interfere with the student’s flow with the school curriculum.
A student can earn a certificate as an advantage after taking the competency-based test.
The certificate not only makes the students work-ready. It also keeps them one step ahead of their peers.
Now you may think that is all there is to this prestigious middle school, but there’s more.
Darwin Middle School offers a mental health program known as SMILE.
The SMILE program, over time, has improved the social, spiritual, mental, cognitive, and physical well-being of every student.
There’s lots of music to be made for music lovers if a student wants to do better.
Darwin Middle School houses professional music teaching facilities like a concert band room, a music technology lab, a recording studio, four instrumental studio rehearsal rooms, and many more.
Sanderson Middle School
| YEARS | 7 – 9 |
| PHONE | (08) 8920 1000 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | 60 Matthews Road, Wulagi NT 0812 |
| WEBSITE | sandersonmiddle.nt.edu.au |
Sanderson Middle School is a co-educational institution catering to pupils in years 7, 8, and 9.
The school provides a caring community that nurtures and develops young people to think and act responsibly; while also taking responsibility for their actions, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, and working to make the most of their abilities.
At Sanderson Middle School, you will find every kind of facility necessary for a modern middle school. From specialist areas in digital technology to arts, food studies, technical studies, physical education, and languages.
The school boasts various indoor and outdoor facilities, such as;
- Computing Facilities
- Music classroom and practice rooms
- Technical Studies
- Science Laboratories
- Catering and Kitchen Facilities
- Ceramics/Sculpture Room
- Art Gallery
- Japanese Language and Culture classroom
- Film Production Suite
- General Purpose Area (GPA)
- Library/Resource Centre
- Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA)
- Amphitheatre
- Outdoor Sports Facilities
As a school that understands the importance of people and community to its success, Sanderson Middle School forms a strong bond with parents, caregivers, and the community at large.
Sanderson Middle School is by all standards a choice place for international students and has been tested and proven by the International Council of Education.
The Northern Territory Department of Education handles all the admission processes for international students.
Nightcliff Middle School
| YEARS | 7 – 9 |
| PHONE | 08 89837677 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | Nightcliff Road, Nightcliff NT 0810 |
| WEBSITE | nightcliffmiddle.nt.edu.au |
Nightcliff Middle School is a co-educational secondary institution that caters to students from Year 7 to Year 9.
The model for success at the school is not just scaling through grades and impressive academic feats.
That said, students’ success is not only limited to good academic results and standing but can also be determined by how much impact they have contributed to the lives of people around them.
And given the several groups and extracurricular activities at the school, students have so much room to express their talent and skills.
Extracurricular offers at Nightcliff Middle School include the following;
- The Nightcliff Middle School Choir
- Clontarf Foundation
- Stars Foundation
- Media Team ( For students who love ICT)
- Tournament Of Minds (TOMs)Team
- Vocational Education and Training In Schools (VETIS)
- NT Music School
- Robotics Club
In addition to that, the school Vocational Education and Training allow the students to learn a skill while in school and gives students access to the NTCET certification.
It is important to note that Nightcliff Middle School offers admission to students within Nightcliff, Coconut Grove, Rapid Creek, Millner, Jingili, and Moil.
Prospective students living outside these catchment areas may also apply for enrollment.
Dripstone Middle School
| YEARS | 7 – 9 |
| PHONE | 08 8983 7777 |
| [email protected] | |
| ADDRESS | Delamere Street, Tiwi, NT 0810 |
| WEBSITE | dripstonemiddle.nt.edu.au |
Dripstone Middle School identifies the basic needs of young children and ensures to incorporate them within the scope of their academic journey.
The need for students to have fun while being imparted with knowledge is met at Dripstone Middle School with the help of its updated curriculum merged with extracurricular activities that improve the quality of learning outcomes.
The school runs a co-education system that caters to students from year 7 to year 9.
There are lots of sporting activities to be enjoyed with the school’s indoor and outdoor sports facilities, including:
- Australian Football
- Netball
- Rugby League
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Baseball/Softball
- Volleyball
- Athletics
- Tennis
- Table Tennis
- Badminton
- Fitness activities
- Touch
Starting from Year 7 to Year 9, science students get a lot of experience exploring skills necessary to conduct scientific research in earth and space science, biological science, asteroids and comets, chemical and physical science.
Students who love music have found the school to nurture their passion. The music classes cover both practical and theoretical aspects of musical instruments like drums, guitar, electric keyboard, and vocals.
There are more like vocals, choreography, and dance, visual and applied arts.
Final Thoughts
That was a complete list of the best high schools in Darwin, and we believe you should have made your choice by now.
Imagine how getting highly demanded skills and certifications beginning at the fundamental level of education and what impact this makes on youngsters.
That will mean being exposed to the right environment very early enough and being in a perfect position to find your obsessions on time.
These schools have also proven to have had successful students passing out in large numbers and better prepared for further educational pursuits.
For international students who are plying their trade in the Northern Territory of Australia, we have also pictured the International student’s admission criteria for the respective schools.
Having said that, if you wish to send your child to any of these schools as an international student, ensure to look at what is required and be rest assured you will have a memorable experience in Darwin.
