Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
Lysaght St, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts is a government secondary school in Fairy Meadow, NSW for Years 7–12 with about 1,168 students. Its ICSEA is 1,075, 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 1,169.
About this school, from public sources
Public information describes Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts as a co-educational government secondary school combining mainstream academics with auditioned specialist programs in dance, drama, music and visual arts, including an Elite Dance Pathways Program. Students take part in major performance events such as Schools Spectacular and Southern Stars, alongside debating, Tournament of the Minds and Duke of Edinburgh. The school highlights learning support, EAL/D programs and an inclusive, diverse community, and parents note strong staff commitment and performance opportunities.
Often praised
- auditioned performing arts pathways
- strong staff commitment
- inclusive, supportive community
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 Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts 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 | 0.42 | 74 |
| 2024 | 0.41 | 58 |
| 2023 | 0.50 | 85 |
| 2022 | 0.60 | 95 |
| 2021 | 0.39 | 61 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keira High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Fairy Meadow | Public high school | 0.1 km | 984 | 723 |
| Elonera Montessori School | Mount Ousley | Independent k–12 / combined | 0.4 km | 1,108 | 187 |
| Smiths Hill High SchoolFully | Wollongong | Public high school | 1.5 km | 1,186 | 735 |
| St Mary Star of the Sea College | Wollongong | Independent high school | 2.4 km | 1,104 | 1,128 |
| Edmund Rice College | West Wollongong | Independent high school | 2.8 km | 1,083 | 1,054 |
| The Illawarra Grammar School | Wollongong West | Independent k–12 / combined | 2.9 km | 1,159 | 970 |
| Corrimal High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Corrimal | Public high school | 4.1 km | 940 | 569 |
| Figtree High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Figtree | Public high school | 4.7 km | 1,013 | 880 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashfield Boys High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Ashfield | Public high school · 7-12 | 751 | 1,074 |
| Melonba High School | Marsden Park | Public high school · 7-12 | 704 | 1,073 |
| Model Farms High SchoolGifted class: Gifted class | Baulkham Hills | Public high school · 7-12 | 1,021 | 1,073 |
| Strathfield Girls High School | Strathfield | Public high school · 7-12 | 1,061 | 1,077 |
| Macarthur Girls High School | Parramatta | Public high school · 7-12 | 997 | 1,071 |
| Pittwater High School | Mona Vale | Public high school · 7-12 | 876 | 1,071 |
About this data
- nsw-doe-master
- acara-profile
- acara-enrolments-grade
- nsw-doe-attendance
- nsw-doe-enrolment-history
- nsw-doe-support-classes
- nsw-nesa-hsc
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.