Top 15 Private Schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa: 2025 Results and School Fees
By Tim AllenBuyer’s Agent and Director, IPS Buyer’s Agents
The top private schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa on 2025 results are Matthew Flinders Anglican College at Buderim (99 for Years 7–10), followed by St Andrew’s Anglican College at Peregian Springs and Sunshine Coast Grammar School at Forest Glen (98 each).[1] Published fees for one child at the top 15 range from $2,919 a year for Year 1 at St Joseph’s Primary School in Nambour to $27,176 for Year 10 at Matthew Flinders.[2][3]
This guide ranks the private (non-government) schools in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas, with no Moreton Bay or Brisbane schools, and compares what each one charges.
Key takeaways
- Matthew Flinders (99), St Andrew’s (98) and Sunshine Coast Grammar (98) lead the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s private schools on 2025 results for Years 7–10.[1]
- The top 15 are 11 Prep–12 colleges and four Catholic primary schools.
- Year 1 costs $2,919 to $3,754 at the four Catholic primary schools and $4,296 at Unity College, against $7,070 to $21,532 at the independent colleges.[2][4][5][6][3]
- Year 10 costs run from $6,642 at Unity College to $27,176 at Matthew Flinders, and six of the 15 schools have already published 2027 fees.[5][3]
- Catchments and enrolment management plans apply only to state schools, so each private school sets its own enrolment rules.[7]
What are the top 15 Sunshine Coast and Noosa private schools?
Matthew Flinders Anglican College, St Andrew’s Anglican College and Sunshine Coast Grammar School lead the top 15 on Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score.[1][8] Each school is ranked on the score for its oldest year group: Years 7–10 for secondary and Prep–12 schools, and primary results for primary schools. Schools on the same score share a rank (marked =) and are listed alphabetically.
| Rank | Private school | Suburb | Years | Sector | 2025 score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Flinders Anglican College | Buderim | Prep–12 | Independent | 99 (Years 7–10) |
| =2 | St Andrew’s Anglican College | Peregian Springs | Prep–12 | Independent | 98 (Years 7–10) |
| =2 | Sunshine Coast Grammar School | Forest Glen | Prep–12 | Independent | 98 (Years 7–10) |
| 4 | Immanuel Lutheran College | Buderim | Prep–12 | Independent | 97 (Years 7–10) |
| 5 | Pacific Lutheran College | Meridan Plains | Prep–12 | Independent | 96 (Years 7–10) |
| 6 | Our Lady of the Rosary School | Caloundra | Prep–6 | Catholic | 94 (primary) |
| =7 | Caloundra City Private School | Pelican Waters | Prep–12 | Independent | 93 (Years 7–10) |
| =7 | Coolum Beach Christian College | Coolum Beach | Prep–12 | Independent | 93 (Years 7–10) |
| =7 | Good Shepherd Lutheran College | Noosaville | Prep–12 | Independent | 93 (Years 7–10) |
| =7 | Montessori International College | Forest Glen | Prep–12 | Independent | 93 (Years 7–10) |
| =7 | Noosa Pengari Steiner School | Doonan | Prep–12 | Independent | 93 (Years 7–10) |
| =7 | Siena Catholic Primary School | Sippy Downs | Prep–6 | Catholic | 93 (primary) |
| =7 | Stella Maris School | Maroochydore | Prep–6 | Catholic | 93 (primary) |
| =14 | St Joseph’s Primary School | Nambour | Prep–6 | Catholic | 92 (primary) |
| =14 | Unity College | Caloundra West | Prep–12 | Catholic | 92 (Years 7–10) |
Next come Glasshouse Christian College at Beerwah, St Teresa’s Catholic College at Noosaville, Suncoast Christian College at Woombye and St Thomas More Primary School at Sunshine Beach (91 each).[1][8]
How much do private schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa cost?
For one child, published fees for Year 1 run from $2,919 at St Joseph’s Primary School to $21,532 at Matthew Flinders, and for Year 10 from $6,642 at Unity College to $27,176 at Matthew Flinders.[2][5][3] Each figure adds tuition to every compulsory recurring charge the school lists for that year, counting family levies once. It leaves out one-off enrolment fees and bonds, optional programs, subject levies, uniforms, transport, voluntary building fund donations and discounts.
| Private school | Fees for | Year 1 | Year 10 | What the figure includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Flinders Anglican College[3] | 2027 | $21,532 | $27,176 | Tuition, textbook and resource levy, year-level programs levy (compulsory camps and excursions) and technology levy |
| St Andrew’s Anglican College[9] | 2027 | $16,792 | $23,624 | Tuition, general purpose levy (most compulsory camps) and family infrastructure levy; Year 10 adds the textbook levy |
| Sunshine Coast Grammar School[10] | 2027 | $15,574 | $21,884 | Tuition, general and technology levies, and year-level levies: Year 1 subscription; Year 10 laptop and outdoor education |
| Immanuel Lutheran College[11] | 2026 | $10,132 | $19,898 | Tuition, resource levy (camps included) and family P&F levy; Year 10 adds the mobile device levy |
| Pacific Lutheran College[12] | 2026 | $9,400 | $14,040 | Bundled tuition (camps and excursions included), resource and technology levies, and family FOP and building levies |
| Our Lady of the Rosary School[4] | 2026 | $3,754 | – | Tuition, family capital and parent levies, and resource and technology levy |
| Caloundra City Private School[13] | 2027 | $10,705 | $13,682 | Tuition, resource levy and compulsory camps and excursions; Year 10 adds the technology levy |
| Coolum Beach Christian College[6] | 2026 | $7,070 | $9,565 | Tuition and levies (camps, excursions and laptops included), and family P&F and campus development levies |
| Good Shepherd Lutheran College[14] | 2026 | $9,500 | $14,130 | Tuition, resource levy (compulsory camps included), ICT levy, and family capital and P&F levies |
| Montessori International College[15] | 2027 | $12,206 | $15,335 | Tuition (camps and curriculum excursions included) and capital levy |
| Noosa Pengari Steiner School[16] | 2026 | $9,472 | $12,016 | Tuition (most camps included), family building levy and Steiner Education Australia levy |
| Siena Catholic Primary School[17] | 2026 | $3,711 | – | Tuition, family capital and PFG levies, fun day charge, and resource, activity and IT levy |
| Stella Maris School[18] | 2026 | $3,490 | – | Tuition, family capital and P&F levies, teaching and learning levy, and Year 1 book levy |
| St Joseph’s Primary School[2] | 2026 | $2,919 | – | Tuition, family capital and PFG levies, ICT levy, SAR fee and book pack |
| Unity College[5] | 2027 | $4,296 | $6,642 | School fee, learning levies, and family capital and parent levies |
Matthew Flinders, St Andrew’s, Sunshine Coast Grammar, Caloundra City Private, Montessori International and Unity College have already published their 2027 fees; the other figures are for 2026, so expect them to rise for 2027.
We started with the 31 non-government schools that the Department of Education’s records place in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas,[19] looked up each one’s 2025 score on Better Education’s suburb pages, and checked every score and fee schedule on 7 November 2026.[1][8] We left out Noosa Flexible Learning Centre, which serves a particular group of students, and two schools with no 2025 score: Blackall Range Independent School at Kureelpa and Montessori Noosa.
Better Education’s State Overall Score rates English and maths test results from 60 to 100.[20] Matthew Flinders scores 100, the top of the scale, on its primary results as well. Some Prep–12 colleges score differently by stage: Suncoast Christian College scores 95 on primary results but 91 for Years 7–10, and Noosa Christian College 95 and 89, which keeps both out of this list.[8][1]
A score measures results, not everything a school does. Better Education itself says its suburb ratings are not advice for buying a property.[8] ACARA, which runs NAPLAN, has long discouraged league tables built from its data because they don’t show the full picture of a school.[21] Use the list to decide which schools to visit, and read each school’s My School profile.[22]
It varies, which is why we compare totals rather than tuition alone. Pacific Lutheran College bundles camps, excursions and bus travel into its tuition,[12] Coolum Beach Christian College’s fee covers year-level camps, excursions and, from Year 4, a laptop,[6] and Immanuel Lutheran College’s resource levy covers camps, which are compulsory for all students.[11] Matthew Flinders charges a separate year-level levy for compulsory excursions and camps.[3]
Family levies are charged once per family, not per child, such as Coolum Beach Christian College’s $1,035 campus development levy and Our Lady of the Rosary’s $740 capital levy.[6][4] Most schools also discount tuition for younger siblings, and many give a discount for paying the year up front, so a family with two or more children pays less per child than the table shows. Budget for one-off costs too: Sunshine Coast Grammar School, for example, charges a $220 application fee and an $800 enrolment confirmation fee, and suggests building fund donations of $250 a semester, which are voluntary.[10]
In this list, the Catholic schools charge less. Year 1 at the four Catholic primary schools costs $2,919 to $3,754, and $4,296 at Unity College, against $7,070 to $21,532 at the independent colleges.[2][4][5][6][3] For Year 10, Unity College, the only Catholic college in the top 15, charges $6,642 for 2027,[5] while the independent colleges range from $9,565 at Coolum Beach Christian College to $27,176 at Matthew Flinders.[6][3] Brisbane Catholic Education schools on the Sunshine Coast also discount tuition when siblings attend another of its schools on the coast.[5][17]
No. Catchments and enrolment management plans apply to Queensland state schools,[7] and each private school runs its own enrolment process, so ask about waiting lists and when to apply for your child’s year. Where you live still matters for the daily trip: check the drive at school times and any school bus routes before you buy.
If you may move a child to a state school later, check the state catchment of the address on EdMap too, for primary, junior secondary and senior secondary.[23]
The top 15 cluster in four areas. These are descriptions, not recommendations.
Buderim and Forest Glen
Matthew Flinders Anglican College and Immanuel Lutheran College are both in Buderim, and Sunshine Coast Grammar School and Montessori International College are in neighbouring Forest Glen. Together they take four of the top 10 places.
Maroochydore, Sippy Downs and Nambour
Three of the four Catholic primary schools in the top 15 are Stella Maris School in Maroochydore, Siena Catholic Primary School at Sippy Downs and St Joseph’s Primary School in Nambour.
Caloundra
Four of the top 15 are around Caloundra: Pacific Lutheran College in Meridan Plains, Our Lady of the Rosary School in Caloundra, Caloundra City Private School in Pelican Waters and Unity College in Caloundra West.
Coolum, Peregian and Noosa
St Andrew’s Anglican College is at Peregian Springs and Coolum Beach Christian College at Coolum Beach, and closer to Noosa are Good Shepherd Lutheran College at Noosaville and Noosa Pengari Steiner School at Doonan. For prices and rents, see our Sunshine Coast and Noosa property market guides and the Sunshine Coast and Noosa suburb reports.
Private school fees are a large recurring cost, so build them into your budget before you set a purchase price, especially with more than one child. Talk to a mortgage broker before you shortlist homes, so pre-approval reflects what you will really spend each year. These are the mortgage brokers we work with:
Finance support
Ryan Leahy, Finance Broker, Moreton Bay Finance Broker
Email ryan@mbfb.com.au · Phone 0468 396 086
moretonbayfinancebroker.com.au
Credit Representative Number 489568, authorised under Australian Credit Licence Number 389328
Finance support
Daniel Fynch, Mortgage Broker, Moreton Bay Finance Broker
Available evenings and weekends.
Phone 0478 706 468
Credit Representative Number 577009, authorised under Australian Credit Licence Number 389328
Finance support
Kyle Downey, Principal Broker, High Point Finance, Caboolture
Email kyle@highpointfinance.com.au · Phone 0493 010 111
highpointfinance.com.au
This section is general information, not credit advice; speak with a licensed credit professional about your own borrowing.
A buyer’s agent can build the school run into the brief: shortlist homes within an easy drive or bus route of the school, check the state catchment as a back-up, negotiate the price and conditions, and work with your broker and solicitor or conveyancer through to settlement. We have bought for school-driven briefs before, including a family home in The Gap bought for one of Brisbane’s top-performing state high school catchments (read The Gap story). On the Sunshine Coast we have bought in Bli Bli, Sippy Downs and Mount Coolum (read the Mount Coolum story).
IPS Buyer’s Agents works only for buyers, across South East Queensland (see our Sunshine Coast buyer’s agent service). Tim Allen has personally inspected and negotiated every one of the 128 properties IPS has bought since 2023. IPS is an REIQ Accredited Agency (see Tim’s REIQ member profile). For the same guide to Moreton Bay, see our top 15 private schools in Moreton Bay.
Matthew Flinders, St Andrew’s and Sunshine Coast Grammar lead the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s private schools on 2025 results. Fees for one child run from $2,919 a year to $27,176, with the Catholic schools at the lower end,[2][3] so compare what each fee includes, add family levies once, and allow for 2027 rises.
This article is general information only, current at November 2026. It is not legal, financial or tax advice and does not consider your circumstances. School fees, scores and enrolment rules change, so confirm current fees and enrolment with each school, and check the rules for your purchase with your solicitor or conveyancer before you act.
Buying on the Sunshine Coast or in Noosa with a private school in mind? Tell us the school and your budget, and we will shortlist homes that suit the school run.
- Better Education — QLD Suburb Ratings by Secondary School Results (2025 school scores, by suburb)
- St Joseph’s Primary School, Nambour — 2026 Fees and Levies
- Matthew Flinders Anglican College — Fees and Levies (schedule for 2027)
- Our Lady of the Rosary School, Caloundra — 2026 Annual Tuition Fees and Levies
- Unity College, Caloundra West — 2027 Annual Fees
- Coolum Beach Christian College — College Fees 2026
- Queensland Government — School catchment areas (last updated 17 June 2026)
- Better Education — QLD Suburb Ratings by Primary School Results (2025 school scores, by suburb)
- St Andrew’s Anglican College — 2027 Schedule of Fees
- Sunshine Coast Grammar School — Fee Schedule 2027 (domestic students)
- Immanuel Lutheran College — Fee Schedule 2026
- Pacific Lutheran College — Procedures and fees (College Fees 2026)
- Caloundra City Private School — 2027 Fees and Levies
- Good Shepherd Lutheran College — Fee Schedule 2026
- Montessori International College — 2027 Schedule of Fees
- Noosa Pengari Steiner School — Schedule of Fees 2026
- Siena Catholic Primary School — 2026 Fee Schedule
- Stella Maris School, Maroochydore — Fees and Levies for 2026
- Queensland Government Open Data Portal — State and non-state school details (local government area of each school)
- Better Education — Please explain the column State Overall Score in school rating
- ACARA — ACARA Update, December 2025 (open letter on school league tables)
- ACARA — My School
- Queensland Government Statistician’s Office — EdMap, Queensland state school catchment maps
What is the best private school on the Sunshine Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 results, Matthew Flinders Anglican College at Buderim ranks first among the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s private schools with 99 for Years 7–10, and it also scores 100 on primary results. St Andrew’s Anglican College at Peregian Springs and Sunshine Coast Grammar School at Forest Glen share second place on 98. The score reflects English and maths results only, so visit before you decide.
What is the best private school in Noosa?
Around Noosa, Good Shepherd Lutheran College at Noosaville and Noosa Pengari Steiner School at Doonan both score 93 for Years 7–10 on Better Education’s 2025 results, which puts them equal seventh across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa. St Teresa’s Catholic College at Noosaville and St Thomas More Primary School at Sunshine Beach follow on 91.
How much are private school fees on the Sunshine Coast?
For one child at the top 15 private schools, published Year 1 fees run from $2,919 a year at St Joseph’s Primary School in Nambour to $21,532 at Matthew Flinders Anglican College, and Year 10 fees from $6,642 at Unity College to $27,176 at Matthew Flinders. Each figure includes compulsory levies; uniforms, transport and optional programs are extra.
Which top private schools on the Sunshine Coast have the lowest fees?
Among the top 15, the four Catholic primary schools charge least for Year 1: St Joseph’s in Nambour ($2,919), Stella Maris in Maroochydore ($3,490), Siena Catholic Primary at Sippy Downs ($3,711) and Our Lady of the Rosary in Caloundra ($3,754), all for 2026. For Year 10, Unity College at Caloundra West is lowest at $6,642 for 2027.
Do Sunshine Coast private school fees include camps and levies?
It depends on the school. Pacific Lutheran College bundles camps, excursions and bus travel into its tuition, Immanuel Lutheran College’s resource levy covers compulsory camps, and Matthew Flinders charges a separate year-level levy for compulsory camps and excursions. Compare each school’s total, including family levies, rather than tuition alone.
Are Catholic school fees cheaper than independent school fees on the Sunshine Coast?
Among the top 15, yes. Year 1 at the four Catholic primary schools costs $2,919 to $3,754 and $4,296 at Unity College, against $7,070 to $21,532 at the independent colleges. For Year 10, Unity College charges $6,642 for 2027, while the independent colleges range from $9,565 to $27,176.