Emerson School
1430 Heatherton Road, Dandenong VIC 3175
Emerson School is a government special school in Dandenong, VIC with about 360 students across all campuses. Its ICSEA is 953, where the national average is 1000.
ICSEA, Language background, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander share, Teaching staff, School website: ACARA School Profile 2025. Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Enrolments and staff cover all campuses of this school. Terms
About this school, from public sources
Public information describes Emerson School as a government special school in Dandenong, Victoria, supporting students with mild intellectual disabilities across Junior, Middle and Senior divisions from age 5 to 18. Operating since 1973 across two campuses, it emphasises small class sizes for personalised instruction and offers a broad curriculum spanning physical education, visual arts, music and performing arts, science, wood technology, home economics, wellbeing/meditation, and vocational pathways for older students. The school describes itself as aiming to be "a school of first choice."
Often praised
- small class sizes
- broad vocational and arts programs
- dedicated performing arts facilities
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 Emerson School on My School · Why some data is missing
Location and nearby schools
Straight-line distances. List every school within 5 to 50 km.
| School | Suburb | Type | Distance | ICSEA | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble Park English Language School | Noble Park | Public special | 2.6 km | 880 | 42 |
| Endeavour Hills Specialist School | Endeavour Hills | Public special | 3.3 km | 985 | 314 |
| Carwatha College P-12 | Noble Park | Public k–12 / combined | 3.4 km | 976 | 672 |
| Doveton College | Doveton | Public k–12 / combined | 3.8 km | 894 | 871 |
| Springvale Park Special Developmental School | Springvale | Public special | 5.2 km | 961 | 208 |
| Mt Hira College | Keysborough | Independent k–12 / combined | 5.7 km | 1,008 | 863 |
| Maranatha Christian School | Endeavour Hills | Independent k–12 / combined | 6.1 km | 1,101 | 1,045 |
| Haileybury College | Keysborough | Independent k–12 / combined | 6.1 km | 1,191 | 4,880 |
Schools with a similar ICSEA in VIC
Same sector and type, ICSEA within 25 points. This is the comparison that separates teaching from postcode.
| School | Suburb | Type | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Gippsland Specialist School | Leongatha | Public special | 59 | 952 |
| Melton Specialist School | Melton | Public special | 387 | 951 |
| Warracknabeal Special Developmental School | Warracknabeal | Public special | 31 | 951 |
| Ballarat Specialist School | Lake Gardens | Public special | 439 | 950 |
| Peninsula Specialist College | Dromana | Public special | 160 | 957 |
| Naranga School | Frankston | Public special | 164 | 945 |
About this data
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.