Port Macquarie at a glance
Port Macquarie contains 21 schools reporting to ACARA — predominantly primary schools across the 8 Independent, 7 Government, 6 Catholic sector mix. ICSEA values across these schools range from 833 to 1116, with a mean of 1003 — that is the socio-educational backdrop you should keep in mind when comparing NAPLAN scores within the suburb.
1 of the 21 schools flag two or more STEM signals in their published curriculum (robotics, coding, IB MYP science, etc.).
Second-language programs visible across the suburb's schools: French, Japanese.
About schools in Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie, NSW has 21 schools reporting to ACARA — a sector mix of 8 Independent, 7 Government, 6 Catholic. By stage that is 10 Primary, 7 Secondary, 4 Combined.
Published ICSEA values across these schools range from 833 to 1116 (mean 1003).
Most NSW government schools have a designated local enrolment area. Confirm the current catchment boundary with the school or the NSW Department of Education before relying on it.
11-year NAPLAN trend (Year 5 mean across all suburb schools)
Schools in Port Macquarie
| School | Sector | Type | ICSEA | NAPLAN | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacKillop College Port Macquarie | Catholic | Secondary | 1068 | 585.0 (Y9) | STEM |
| St Joseph's Regional College | Catholic | Secondary | 1017 | 578.2 (Y9) | Japanese |
| Hastings Secondary College, Port Macquarie Campus | Government | Secondary | 971 | 557.0 (Y9) | — |
| St Columba Anglican School | Independent | Combined | 1116 | 541.4 (Y5) | — |
| Hastings Secondary College, Westport Campus | Government | Secondary | 919 | 523.0 (Y9) | — |
| St Peter's Primary School | Catholic | Primary | 1075 | 500.6 (Y5) | — |
| Heritage Christian School | Independent | Combined | 1032 | 493.8 (Y5) | — |
| St Agnes' Primary School | Catholic | Primary | 1029 | 492.6 (Y5) | — |
| Hastings Public School | Government | Primary | 1019 | 492.2 (Y5) | — |
| The Nature School | Independent | Combined | 1054 | 488.0 (Y5) | — |
| Tacking Point Public School | Government | Primary | 1054 | 485.6 (Y5) | — |
| St Joseph's Primary School | Catholic | Primary | 1017 | 481.4 (Y5) | — |
| Port Macquarie Adventist School | Independent | Combined | 1011 | 477.2 (Y5) | French |
| Port Macquarie Public School | Government | Primary | 932 | 471.2 (Y5) | — |
| Nautilus Senior College | Independent | Secondary | 833 | 436.8 (Y9) | — |
| Westport Public School | Government | Primary | 888 | 434.4 (Y5) | — |
| Newman Senior Technical College | Catholic | Secondary | 996 | – | — |
| North East Public School of Distance Education | Government | Primary | 979 | – | — |
| Aspect Hunter School, Port Macquarie Primary Satellite | Independent | Primary | – | – | — |
| Aspect Hunter School, Port Macquarie High School Satellite | Independent | Secondary | – | – | — |
| Port Macquarie Steiner School | Independent | Primary | 1051 | – | — |
NAPLAN column shows the latest-year mean across the 5 subjects for the indicated grade (Y5 for primary, Y9 for secondary). Click a school name to open it in the map view.
More NSW suburbs
Frequently asked questions
What's a good NAPLAN score for schools in Port Macquarie?
There is no suburb-specific official benchmark for “good”. A reasonable first read is to compare each school with the broader national range and then, more importantly, with schools at similar ICSEA. In Port Macquarie, some schools sit well above the national Year 5 average, but that does not automatically tell you whether they are adding more value than a lower-scoring school with a very different intake profile.
How do I check the school catchment for Port Macquarie?
Open a school from the table and inspect it in the map view. Where department or ACARA-linked catchment data is available, that is the best starting point. Catchment boundaries can change, though, so the cautious step is to confirm with the relevant education authority or the school before relying on it.
Which is the best primary school in Port Macquarie?
There is no single factual answer to that. The table is sorted by latest NAPLAN mean, which is useful for orientation, but a family could still reasonably prefer a different school because of sector, fees, language offering, learning support, distance, or culture. This page is best used to narrow the field, not to end the decision.
Suburb schools report generated by Schoogaroo from public data (ACARA / My School and state sources). Latest version: https://www.schoogaroo.com/suburbs/nsw/port-macquarie - verify enrolment details with the school or the relevant education authority.