Ballina Coast High School
57 Cherry Street, Ballina NSW 2478
Ballina Coast High School is a government secondary school in Ballina, NSW for Years 7–12 with about 718 students. Its ICSEA is 952, where the national average is 1000.
Teaching staff: ACARA School Profile 2025. Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Terms
Attendance and enrolment
Enrolments by year, 2016–2025. Latest 722.
About this school, from public sources
Public online sources describe Ballina Coast High School as a comprehensive government secondary school in Ballina, NSW, serving Years 7-12 with a strong pastoral focus. The school runs specialist streams including High Potential and Gifted Education, a Targeted Sports Program, and a Talented Arts Program, alongside an aquaculture centre and Big Picture learning options. Senior students can choose academic, VET-Trade, or Life Skills pathways. Parents involved in the school's Friends group speak positively of the staff and school culture.
Often praised
- gifted education program
- talented arts and sports streams
- supportive staff culture
This note was generated from publicly available online sources (the school's website, official pages and online feedback) as at September 2026. It reflects what is said online, not an assessment by SchoolList AU or any government body, and it deliberately records only neutral and positive points. Confidence: medium. Verify anything important with the school. Report an inaccuracy.
NAPLAN
School-level NAPLAN results are published by ACARA on My School under terms that do not allow them to be reproduced here. See Ballina Coast High School on My School · Why some data is missing
HSC 2025
Last 3 years
| Year | Band 6 / E4 results per Year 12 student | Band 6 / E4 results |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 4 |
| 2024 | 0.03 | 3 |
| 2023 | 0.05 | 4 |
Counts are derived from NESA's published merit lists and exclude students who opted out of publication. The per-student figure divides each year's count by that year's Year 12 enrolment from ACARA's August census, so it is approximate. NSW law does not permit ranking schools by results, so no rank or percentile is shown.
Gifted and accelerated programs
Excel2Accelerate Academy (E2A)
Many comprehensive public high schools run their own class or program for high-ability students, under names such as Gifted and Talented, Academic Extension, Academic Excellence (common in Queensland), Enrichment or SEAL. These are not a department program: each school sets its own entry (often a test or application in Year 6) and class size. Listed only where the school's own website describes a dedicated class; check details with the school.
- Entry
- Application, portfolio and interview
Source: department page ↗. Check current entry dates with the school.
Location and nearby schools
Straight-line distances. List every school within 5 to 50 km.
| School | Suburb | Type | Distance | ICSEA | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Cross School of Distance Education | East Ballina | Public high school | 2.8 km | 896 | 77 |
| Richmond Christian College | Ballina | Independent k–12 / combined | 2.9 km | 1,069 | 327 |
| Emmanuel Anglican College | Ballina | Independent k–12 / combined | 3.4 km | 1,113 | 878 |
| Xavier Catholic College Ballina | Skennars Head | Catholic high school | 5.2 km | 1,081 | 884 |
| Alstonville High School | Alstonville | Public high school | 13.1 km | 990 | 521 |
| Blue Hills College | Goonellabah | Independent k–12 / combined | 20.9 km | 999 | 201 |
| Summerland Christian College | Goonellabah | Independent k–12 / combined | 21.9 km | 1,042 | 628 |
| Byron Bay High School | Byron Bay | Public high school | 22.6 km | 1,050 | 818 |
Schools with a similar ICSEA in NSW
Same sector and type, ICSEA within 25 points. This is the comparison that separates teaching from postcode.
| School | Suburb | Type | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callaghan College Wallsend Campus | Wallsend | Public high school · 7-10 | 890 | 952 |
| Barham High School | Barham | Public high school · 7-12 | 183 | 951 |
| Belmore Boys High School | Belmore | Public high school · 7-12 | 614 | 953 |
| Dorrigo High School | Dorrigo | Public high school · 7-12 | 118 | 951 |
| Mulwaree High School | Goulburn | Public high school · 7-12 | 817 | 951 |
| Campbelltown Performing Arts High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Campbelltown | Public high school · 7-12 | 893 | 950 |
About this data
- nsw-doe-master
- acara-profile
- acara-enrolments-grade
- school-site-gifted
- nsw-doe-attendance
- nsw-doe-enrolment-history
- nsw-doe-support-classes
- nsw-nesa-hsc
- school-website
Figures are from the latest published datasets and can lag the school by a year. Confirm enrolment rules and catchment boundaries with the school or department before relying on them.