Orara High School
Joyce St, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Orara High School is a government secondary school in Coffs Harbour, NSW for Years 7–12 with about 856 students. Its ICSEA is 896, 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 858.
About this school, from public sources
Based on publicly available online sources, Orara High School is a comprehensive government secondary school in Coffs Harbour catering to Years 7-12. The school promotes an inclusive, safe and respectful culture under "The Orara Way," with strong wellbeing and learning support structures, personalised learning plans, and high expectations for students. It runs the Clontarf Academy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys, alongside programs in literacy, numeracy, special education and environmental education across a full Years 7-12 subject range.
Often praised
- Clontarf Academy for Indigenous students
- Strong student wellbeing support
- Inclusive, welcoming school 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 Orara 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 | 0.02 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0.10 | 4 |
| 2021 | 0.03 | 2 |
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
Extension Class
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
- Entry
- Expression of interest form
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maam Giingana Gumbaynggirr | Coffs Harbour | Independent k–12 / combined | 2.3 km | 798 | 81 |
| Lismore Diocese Online Education Centre | Coffs Harbour | Catholic high school | 3.2 km | — | — |
| Coffs Harbour High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Coffs Harbour | Public high school | 3.3 km | 957 | 782 |
| Bishop Druitt College | Coffs Harbour | Independent k–12 / combined | 3.9 km | 1,109 | 1,351 |
| St John Paul College | Coffs Harbour | Catholic high school | 4.8 km | 1,044 | 1,062 |
| Coffs Harbour Senior College | Coffs Harbour | Public high school | 5.3 km | 1,038 | 450 |
| Coffs Harbour Bible Church School | Toormina | Independent k–12 / combined | 6.9 km | 1,021 | 37 |
| Toormina High School | Toormina | Public high school | 8.0 km | 941 | 738 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Cross School of Distance Education | East Ballina | Public high school · 7-12 | 77 | 896 |
| Chifley College Senior Campus | Mount Druitt | Public high school · 11-12 | 499 | 894 |
| Coonabarabran High School | Coonabarabran | Public high school · 7-12 | 298 | 898 |
| Kurri Kurri High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Kurri Kurri | Public high school · 7-12 | 915 | 894 |
| Lake Illawarra High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Lake Illawarra | Public high school · 7-12 | 542 | 894 |
| Parkes High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Parkes | Public high school · 7-12 | 467 | 894 |
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.