Schools in Canberra 2026, Public, Private and Catholic Schools Guide for the ACT
Canberra schools guide 2026: public, private and Catholic schools across Canberra, school zones, NAPLAN results, selective schools, enrollment processes and how to find schools in the ACT.
AI may assist with research, summarising and drafting. Where public source links underpin the article, they are shown below. Sensitive material is held for human review, and people oversee the standards and corrections process. The Daily Canberra covers Canberra news. It is provided for general information only and is not professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Read our editorial standards →
Canberra's school system is managed by the ACT Education Directorate, with a distinctive structure that includes a separate junior secondary college system for Years 7-10 before senior secondary college (Years 11-12). Here's a guide to ACT schools in 2026. education.act.gov.au
ACT Government Schools
Canberra's government schools include primary schools (Kindergarten to Year 6), high schools (Years 7-10) and senior secondary colleges (Years 11-12). There are no Year 11-12 classes in most Canberra high schools, students typically move to a senior college (Dickson College, Belconnen High/Lake Ginninderra College, Narrabundah College, Hawker College, Stromlo High/Stromlo Senior Secondary College, UC Senior Secondary College). education.act.gov.au
Specialist Schools
Telopea Park School (Years K-10) and Lyneham High (specialist performing arts) are among Canberra's distinctive government school programs. The Australian Capital Territory has a high concentration of well-resourced government schools relative to population, reflecting the high-education professional population of the federal public service.
Private Schools
Canberra's private school sector includes Canberra Grammar School (boys, Anglican), Canberra Girls' Grammar (girls, Anglican), St Francis Xavier College (Catholic), Marist College Canberra, and Radford College (Anglican co-educational). These are consistently among Canberra's top-performing schools. ais.act.edu.au
NAPLAN
ACT students sit NAPLAN in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The ACT consistently records the highest government school NAPLAN averages in Australia. Compare school results at myschool.edu.au. myschool.edu.au
This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.
Covering community in Canberra. This article was generated by AI, under human oversight and our editorial standards. Sensitive material is held for human review before publication. See our editorial standards.
Spread the word
Share
Daily brief
Enjoyed this? Wake up to Canberra news every morning.
