The McDonald College
North Strathfield NSW 2137
The McDonald College is an independent combined primary and secondary school in North Strathfield, NSW for Years 1–12 with about 265 students. Its ICSEA is 1,123, where the national average is 1000.
Annual report (2024) ↗ on the publisher's site. About this link
Sector, ICSEA, Enrolments, Language background, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander share, Year range, Teaching staff, School website: ACARA School Profile 2025. Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Terms
About this school, from public sources
Drawn from public online sources: The McDonald College is an independent co-educational specialist school in North Strathfield, Sydney, for Kindergarten to Year 12, with about 300 students including boarders from Year 7. It grew from a dance college founded in 1926 and has been at its current site since 1999. Programs integrated into the school day include acting, ballet, contemporary and commercial dance, music, musical theatre, technical production, elite tennis and rhythmic gymnastics.
Often praised
- Creative and performing arts
- Elite sport pathways
- Boarding available
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 The McDonald College 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 | 0.33 | 20 |
| 2024 | 1.03 | 40 |
| 2023 | 0.44 | 19 |
| 2022 | 0.27 | 6 |
| 2021 | 0.25 | 11 |
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.
Location and nearby schools
Straight-line distances. List every school within 5 to 50 km.
| School | Suburb | Type | Distance | ICSEA | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meriden School | Strathfield | Independent k–12 / combined | 1.8 km | 1,180 | 1,761 |
| MLC School, Art and Design Centre | Burwood | Independent k–12 / combined | 1.9 km | — | — |
| MLC School, Music Centre | Burwood | Independent k–12 / combined | 1.9 km | — | — |
| MLC School | Burwood | Independent k–12 / combined | 2.0 km | 1,177 | 1,393 |
| St Patrick's College, Strathfield | Strathfield | Independent k–12 / combined | 2.2 km | 1,126 | 1,598 |
| Santa Sabina College | Strathfield | Independent k–12 / combined | 2.3 km | 1,139 | 1,320 |
| Presbyterian Ladies' College Sydney | Croydon | Independent k–12 / combined | 3.8 km | 1,160 | 1,495 |
| Australian International Academy, Sydney, Strathfield Campus | Strathfield | Independent k–12 / combined | 3.8 km | 1,074 | 493 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaburra School | Bangor | Independent k–12 / combined · K-12 | 1,211 | 1,123 |
| Australian International Academy, Kellyville Campus | North Kellyville | Independent k–12 / combined · K-12 | 733 | 1,122 |
| Macarthur Anglican School | Cobbitty | Independent k–12 / combined · K-12 | 1,177 | 1,125 |
| St Paul's Grammar School | Cranebrook | Independent k–12 / combined · K-12 | 824 | 1,121 |
| St Patrick's College, Strathfield | Strathfield | Independent k–12 / combined · 5-12 | 1,598 | 1,126 |
| Kinross Wolaroi School | Orange | Independent k–12 / combined · K-12 | 1,018 | 1,128 |
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.