Kotara High School
Lexington Pde, Adamstown NSW 2289
Kotara High School is a government secondary school in Adamstown, NSW for Years 7–12 with about 1,126 students. Its ICSEA is 1,066, 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 1,130.
About this school, from public sources
Based on publicly available information, Kotara High School is a comprehensive government secondary school for Years 7-12 in Adamstown Heights, NSW. It offers a broad curriculum spanning STEM, creative arts, and sport, with extension programs for gifted and talented students and dedicated support units for hearing, autism, and multi-categorical needs. The school is linked to the Newcastle Community Trade Training Centre and highlights cultural inclusivity, wellbeing support, and a diverse elective range including languages, technology, and the arts.
Often praised
- gifted and talented program
- specialist disability support units
- broad elective range
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 Kotara High School on My School · Why some data is missing
HSC 2025
Last 5 years
| Year | Band 6 / E4 results per Year 12 student | Band 6 / E4 results |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.16 | 24 |
| 2024 | 0.18 | 22 |
| 2023 | 0.11 | 14 |
| 2022 | 0.10 | 15 |
| 2021 | 0.15 | 21 |
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
Stage 4 & 5 academic enrichment classes
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.
- Year levels
- 7–10
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Catholic College | Adamstown | Catholic high school | 1.3 km | 1,090 | 849 |
| Whitebridge High School | Whitebridge | Public high school | 2.8 km | 1,022 | 908 |
| Hunter School of Performing Arts | Broadmeadow | Public k–12 / combined | 3.1 km | 1,085 | 1,090 |
| Merewether High SchoolFully | Broadmeadow | Public high school | 3.2 km | 1,206 | 1,071 |
| Cardiff High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Cardiff | Public high school | 3.4 km | 986 | 776 |
| Lambton High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Lambton | Public high school | 3.5 km | 1,057 | 1,172 |
| St Mary's Catholic College | Gateshead | Catholic high school | 3.9 km | 1,062 | 989 |
| Hunter Sports High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Gateshead | Public high school | 4.5 km | 955 | 922 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaxland High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Blaxland | Public high school · 7-12 | 997 | 1,065 |
| Rouse Hill High School | Rouse Hill | Public high school · 7-12 | 1,314 | 1,067 |
| Concord High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Concord | Public high school · 7-12 | 1,205 | 1,068 |
| Jerrabomberra High School | Jerrabomberra | Public high school · 7-12 | 333 | 1,068 |
| Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Northmead | Public high school · 7-12 | 1,239 | 1,069 |
| Woolooware High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Woolooware | Public high school · 7-12 | 788 | 1,063 |
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.