Margaret Jurd College
Shortland NSW 2307
Margaret Jurd College is an independent special school in Shortland, NSW with about 103 students across all campuses. Its ICSEA is 889, where the national average is 1000.
Annual report (2025) ↗ on the publisher's site. About this link
Sector, ICSEA, Enrolments, 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
Drawn from public online sources: Margaret Jurd College is an independent secondary school for Years 9 to 12, based on the grounds of Shortland Uniting Church in Newcastle, with a further campus in Tuncurry. Originally a Uniting Church ministry growing from the Newcastle Youth Service, it re-engages young people with education, including students with mental health needs, and describes itself as a caring place to belong.
Often praised
- Re-engagement with education
- Supportive, caring environment
- Multiple campuses
This note was generated from publicly available online sources (the school's website, official pages and online feedback) as at October 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: high. 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 Margaret Jurd College 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspect Hunter School, Waratah West Satellite | Waratah West | Independent special | 2.3 km | — | — |
| St Philip's Christian College - Waratah | Waratah | Independent k–12 / combined | 3.2 km | 1,138 | 1,466 |
| Newcastle Middle School | Waratah | Public special | 3.4 km | 967 | 45 |
| St Philip's Christian College Young Parents | Waratah | Independent special | 3.4 km | 776 | 52 |
| St Philip's Christian College Dynamic Learning | Waratah | Independent special | 3.4 km | 1,022 | 223 |
| Newcastle Senior School | Waratah | Public special | 3.5 km | 960 | 37 |
| John Hunter Hospital School | New Lambton Heights | Public special | 3.7 km | — | — |
| Hunter Christian School | Mayfield | Independent k–12 / combined | 4.0 km | 1,061 | 337 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indie School Albury | Albury | Independent special · 9-12 | 872 | 888 |
| Pambula Beach Flexible School | Pambula | Independent special · 7-10 | 52 | 888 |
| Western Riverina Community School | Griffith | Independent special · 9-12 | 38 | 883 |
| Wollongong Flexible School | Towradgi | Independent special · 7-10 | 71 | 895 |
| William Campbell College | Nowra Hill | Independent special · K-7 | 28 | 881 |
| Biala Special School | Ballina | Independent special | 33 | 898 |
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.