Mackay at a glance
Mackay contains 5 schools reporting to ACARA — predominantly secondary schools across the 3 Catholic, 1 Government, 1 Independent sector mix. ICSEA values across these schools range from 811 to 1026, with a mean of 954 — that is the socio-educational backdrop you should keep in mind when comparing NAPLAN scores within the suburb.
1 of the 5 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, Indonesian, Japanese, Spanish.
About schools in Mackay
Mackay, QLD has 5 schools reporting to ACARA — a sector mix of 3 Catholic, 1 Government, 1 Independent. By stage that is 3 Secondary, 2 Primary.
Published ICSEA values across these schools range from 811 to 1026 (mean 954).
11-year NAPLAN trend (Year 5 mean across all suburb schools)
Schools in Mackay
| School | Sector | Type | ICSEA | NAPLAN | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine McAuley College | Catholic | Secondary | 1026 | 582.6 (Y9) | STEMFrenchIndonesianSpanish |
| St Patrick's College | Catholic | Secondary | 1009 | 552.8 (Y9) | FrenchJapanese |
| St Brendan's Catholic Primary School | Catholic | Primary | 1018 | 518.6 (Y5) | — |
| Kutta Mulla Gorinna Special Assistance School | Independent | Secondary | 811 | 481.6 (Y9) | — |
| Mackay Central State School | Government | Primary | 908 | 443.4 (Y5) | — |
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 QLD suburbs
Frequently asked questions
What's a good NAPLAN score for schools in Mackay?
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 Mackay, 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 Mackay?
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 Mackay?
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/qld/mackay - verify enrolment details with the school or the relevant education authority.