Southern Cross School of Distance Education
30 Chickiba Drive, East Ballina NSW 2478
Southern Cross School of Distance Education is a government secondary school in East Ballina, NSW for Years 7–12 with about 77 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, 2018–2025. Latest 79.
About this school, from public sources
Public information describes Southern Cross School of Distance Education as a government distance-education school serving a large rural catchment stretching from Tweed Heads to Coffs Harbour and west to Inverell. It offers over 65 courses, including seven languages, to full-time, pathway and single-course students, delivered via Canvas, phone lessons, videoconferencing, mini-schools and teacher visits. More than 20 community learning hubs provide local support groups for enrolled students.
Often praised
- Wide course and language choice
- Flexible delivery modes
- Extensive learning hub network
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 Southern Cross School of Distance Education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Catholic College Ballina | Skennars Head | Catholic high school | 2.5 km | 1,081 | 884 |
| Ballina Coast High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Ballina | Public high school | 2.8 km | 952 | 718 |
| Richmond Christian College | Ballina | Independent k–12 / combined | 4.0 km | 1,069 | 327 |
| Emmanuel Anglican College | Ballina | Independent k–12 / combined | 5.6 km | 1,113 | 878 |
| Alstonville High School | Alstonville | Public high school | 14.8 km | 990 | 521 |
| Byron Bay High School | Byron Bay | Public high school | 20.4 km | 1,050 | 818 |
| Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School | Byron Bay | Independent k–12 / combined | 21.7 km | 1,097 | 382 |
| Blue Hills College | Goonellabah | Independent k–12 / combined | 22.6 km | 999 | 201 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orara High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Coffs Harbour | Public high school · 7-12 | 856 | 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
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.