Top 10 State High Schools on the Gold Coast: 2025 Results, Catchments and Programs of Excellence
By Tim AllenBuyer’s Agent and Director, IPS Buyer’s Agents
The top state high schools on the Gold Coast on 2025 results for Years 7–10 are Benowa State High School (94), Southport State High School and Varsity College (92 each), and Merrimac State High School (89).[1]
This guide ranks the 17 state schools with secondary years in the City of Gold Coast council area by Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score. It shows each top 10 school’s enrolment management plan and Programs of Excellence, and how to check a home’s high school catchment before you buy.
Key takeaways
- Benowa State High School (94) leads the Gold Coast’s state high schools on 2025 results, ahead of Southport and Varsity College (92) and Merrimac (89).[1]
- All 10 schools in the top 10 run an enrolment management plan (EMP), so your address decides your place.[2]
- Nine of the 10 list Programs of Excellence, from 12 programs at Pacific Pines to a surf program at Elanora, and out-of-catchment students get those places only after local demand is met.[3]
- Queensland draws separate junior secondary and senior secondary catchments, so check both for any address you are considering.[4]
- To enrol at an EMP school you need a current lease, rates notice or unconditional contract of sale, plus a utility bill, and your child must be living there when you apply.[5]
What are the top 10 state high schools on the Gold Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score for Years 7–10, the top 10 state high schools on the Gold Coast are led by Benowa (94), Southport and Varsity College (92), and Merrimac (89). No school ties for 10th, so the list holds exactly 10 schools.[1] Schools on the same score share a rank (marked =) and are listed alphabetically, and the last column shows whether the school is on the Department of Education’s EMP list of 1 October 2026.[2]
| Rank | State high school | Suburb | 2025 score | EMP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benowa State High School | Benowa | 94 | Yes |
| =2 | Southport State High School | Southport | 92 | Yes |
| =2 | Varsity College | Varsity Lakes | 92 | Yes |
| 4 | Merrimac State High School | Mermaid Waters | 89 | Yes |
| =5 | Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School | Palm Beach | 88 | Yes |
| =5 | Robina State High School | Robina | 88 | Yes |
| 7 | Elanora State High School | Elanora | 87 | Yes |
| 8 | Pacific Pines State High School | Pacific Pines | 85 | Yes |
| =9 | Helensvale State High School | Helensvale | 84 | Yes |
| =9 | Miami State High School | Miami | 84 | Yes |
Varsity College runs from Prep to Year 12 and is ranked on its secondary years. Just outside the top 10 are Ormeau Woods (81) and Coombabah (80) state high schools.[1]
How were the schools ranked?
We ranked the state schools with secondary years in the City of Gold Coast by their 2025 State Overall Score on Better Education’s secondary suburb ratings pages, and checked every score and enrolment plan on 8 November 2026.[1] The schools are the 17 on the Queensland Government’s 2026 lists of junior and senior secondary sites that fall inside the council area, from Ormeau and Pimpama in the north to Palm Beach and Elanora in the south, including the new Foxwell State Secondary College at Coomera.[4][6]
Better Education’s State Overall Score rates a school’s English and maths test results in Years 7–10 from 60 to 100, and does not include Year 11 and 12 results. On Better Education’s own conversion, Benowa’s 94 is about the top 15% of Queensland schools, and the 84 shared in 9th place about the top 40%.[7] It is a third-party measure, not a Queensland Government one.
A score measures results, not everything a school does. Better Education itself says its suburb ratings are not advice for buying a property.[1] ACARA, which runs NAPLAN, has long discouraged league tables built from its data because they don’t show the full picture of a school.[8] Use this list to decide where to look, then read each school’s My School profile and visit.[9]
Your local state high school is the one closest to your home by the shortest, most direct road route to its main entrance, and its catchment is the area where its core intake of students must live.[10] The Government publishes separate junior secondary and senior secondary catchments,[4] and Varsity College, as a Prep to Year 12 college, has separate primary and secondary catchments.[11] So check the address on EdMap for every stage, not just the school nearest you.[12]
Catchments are reviewed every year, for example for new roads, subdivisions or a new school nearby, and students already enrolled are not affected when a boundary moves. Where local circumstances call for it, the Regional Director can approve a negotiated catchment after consulting neighbouring principals.[13] Eight of the top 10 operate under a negotiated catchment area, including Benowa and Southport,[14][15] while Merrimac and Pacific Pines have equidistant catchments.[16][3]
Fourteen of the 17 state schools with secondary years on the Gold Coast have an EMP, including all of the top 10. Foxwell State Secondary College, Pimpama State Secondary College and Upper Coomera State College were not on the 1 October 2026 list.[2] An EMP is how a school that is close to or at capacity restricts out-of-catchment enrolments, so places are kept for local students.[10] Every state school has a catchment, but it is enforced only under an EMP.[13]
Each plan sets a maximum enrolment capacity, from 1,237 students at Elanora State High School[17] to 3,619 at Varsity College, which takes Prep to Year 12.[11] A plan can limit out-of-catchment enrolments in the entry year, which for a high school is Year 7, and siblings of current students who live outside the catchment are entitled to enrol.[5]
Sometimes, through a Program of Excellence: a specialist program for high-performing students, approved by the Regional Director.[5] Each plan sets aside a number of places, and they go to out-of-catchment students only once local demand is met and room is reserved for future local growth.[3] Nine schools in the top 10 list programs in their plans:
| School | Programs of Excellence (places) |
|---|---|
| Benowa State High School[14] | Academic, Sport and Cultural: 15% of places each |
| Southport State High School[15] | Academic 450; Arts 450; Sports 450; Engineering 300 |
| Varsity College[11] | Academic 425; Cultural 400; Sports 300 |
| Merrimac State High School[16] | Academic Summit 150; Performing Arts Summit 150; High Performance Sport Summit 200; Digital Summit 100; Instrumental Music 60; Leadership and Cultural 60 |
| Robina State High School[18] | Per year level: Kingfisher Academic 60; General Sports 60; Football 50; Baseball 25; Netball 25; Triathlon 25; Golf 20 |
| Elanora State High School[17] | Academic Class of Excellence 180; Sports Academy 120; Arts and Culture Academy 90; COOEE Surf 40 |
| Pacific Pines State High School[3] | Technology 224; STEM 168; English, Literature and Media 168; AFL, netball, soccer, touch, dance, drama, Japanese, and Business, Leadership and Enterprise 112 each; Music 100 |
| Helensvale State High School[19] | Sport 580; Arts 300; Excite Academic 270; Honours 100; Japanese 90; Education for Entrepreneurs 75 |
| Miami State High School[20] | Academic Specialisation 210; Sports Specialisation 124; Cultural Specialisation 120 |
Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School’s plan sets a capacity of 2,659 students and lists no programs.[21] A program place is not a family pass either: siblings of out-of-catchment students in a Program of Excellence are not automatically entitled to enrol.[5]
At an EMP school you need one primary document (a current lease agreement, a rates notice or an unconditional contract of sale) and one secondary document (a utility bill showing the same address and the parent’s name). The principal can ask for more, and the student must be living within the catchment at the time of the enrolment application.[5]
- Ask the school when it takes Year 7 applications, and plan back from that date.
- Check the exact address on EdMap for both the junior and senior secondary catchments before you make an offer.
- Read the school’s plan for its capacity, programs and the documents it wants.
- Allow time for the contract to go unconditional, settlement, the move and a utility account in your name.
- If time is tight, renting in the catchment while you search also works, because a current lease is accepted proof.
The top 10 are in 10 different suburbs, from Helensvale and Pacific Pines in the north to Palm Beach and Elanora in the south. They fall into four groups. These are descriptions, not recommendations, and a school nearby is not the same as a home in its catchment.
Benowa, Southport and the central coast
Benowa State High School is first on 94, Southport State High School =2nd on 92, Merrimac State High School at Mermaid Waters 4th on 89, and Miami State High School =9th on 84. Southport’s plan lists an Engineering Program of Excellence with 300 places alongside its academic, arts and sports programs.[15]
Robina and Varsity Lakes
Varsity College shares second place on 92 and Robina State High School is =5th on 88. Varsity College has the largest capacity in the top 10, 3,619 students from Prep to Year 12, and Robina sets its program places per year level, including golf and triathlon.[11][18]
The southern Gold Coast
Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School shares fifth place on 88, and Elanora State High School is 7th on 87, with the top 10’s smallest capacity, 1,237 students, and a surf program.[17] See our guide to the best suburbs on the Gold Coast.
The northern Gold Coast
Pacific Pines State High School is 8th on 85 and Helensvale State High School =9th on 84. Between them they offer 18 Programs of Excellence.[3][19] See our guide to the northern Gold Coast suburbs, and for prices and rents across the city, our Gold Coast property market guide.
- Checking only the primary catchment. Primary, junior secondary and senior secondary catchments are drawn separately, so one address can sit in different combinations.[4]
- Counting on a program place. Programs of Excellence have their own entry criteria and take out-of-catchment students only after local demand is met.[5]
- Buying on a boundary without a plan B. Catchments are reviewed every year, although students already enrolled are not affected.[13]
- Assuming a school without an EMP will stay open to everyone. A school must adopt a plan once utilisation reaches 80% and keeps rising, so ask the principal how enrolments are tracking.[5]
Moving for a high school often means upsizing, buying before you sell, or both, which can mean a bigger loan. Talk to a mortgage broker before you shortlist homes, so pre-approval is in place when the right address comes up. 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 into the brief: check the junior and senior catchments and the EMP of every shortlisted address before you inspect, negotiate the price and conditions, and work with your broker and solicitor or conveyancer so the contract dates suit the Year 7 application. If you are relocating, see our guide to moving to the Gold Coast. We bought a family home in The Gap for clients who wanted one of Brisbane’s top-performing state high school catchments (read The Gap story).
IPS Buyer’s Agents works only for buyers, across South East Queensland (see our Gold 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).
Benowa, Southport and Varsity College lead the Gold Coast’s state high schools on 2025 results. All of the top 10 run an EMP, so your address decides your place: check the junior and senior catchments on EdMap, read the school’s plan, and time the contract and the move around the Year 7 application.
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 scores, enrolment management plans, programs and catchments change, so confirm your child’s eligibility with the school, and check the rules for your purchase with your solicitor or conveyancer before you act.
Buying on the Gold Coast with a high school in mind? Tell us the school and your budget, and we will shortlist homes in its catchment.
- Better Education — QLD Suburb Ratings by Secondary School Results (2025 school scores, by suburb)
- Department of Education — School enrolment management plans (schools with an EMP, last updated 1 October 2026)
- Department of Education — Pacific Pines State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Queensland Government Open Data Portal — Queensland state schools—geographic information (junior and senior secondary sites, 2026)
- Department of Education — School Enrolment Management Plans (School EMPs) procedure, version 7.5
- 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 — School catchment areas (last updated 17 June 2026)
- Department of Education — Varsity College: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Queensland Government Statistician’s Office — EdMap, Queensland state school catchment maps
- Queensland Government — State school catchments: frequently asked questions (Word document)
- Department of Education — Benowa State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 24 August 2026)
- Department of Education — Southport State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 25 March 2026)
- Department of Education — Merrimac State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Elanora State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Robina State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Helensvale State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 3 March 2026)
- Department of Education — Miami State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 24 February 2026)
What is the best state high school on the Gold Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score for Years 7–10, Benowa State High School ranks first among the Gold Coast’s state high schools with 94, ahead of Southport State High School and Varsity College (92 each) and Merrimac State High School (89). The score reflects English and maths results only, so read each school’s My School profile and visit.
What is a Program of Excellence at a Queensland state high school?
A Program of Excellence is a specialist program for high-performing students, approved by the Department of Education’s Regional Director. A school with an enrolment management plan sets aside places in each program, and students from outside the catchment get them only after local demand is met. Nine of the Gold Coast’s top 10 list programs, including Southport’s engineering and Elanora’s surf programs.
Do Queensland state high schools have separate junior and senior catchments?
Yes. The Queensland Government publishes separate junior secondary and senior secondary catchments, and Prep to Year 12 colleges such as Varsity College also have separate primary and secondary catchments. Check any address on EdMap for every stage, including the primary catchment if you have younger children.
Can my child go to a state high school outside our catchment in Queensland?
You can apply, but you may not get a place. At a school with an enrolment management plan, out-of-catchment students are enrolled only when there is spare capacity, and a plan can limit out-of-catchment entry into Year 7. Siblings of current students are entitled to enrol, and some students win a place through a Program of Excellence.
Which Gold Coast state high schools have no enrolment management plan?
On the Department of Education’s list of 1 October 2026, three of the Gold Coast’s 17 state schools with secondary years had no enrolment management plan: Foxwell State Secondary College, Pimpama State Secondary College and Upper Coomera State College. All of the top 10 have one.
Which Gold Coast state high school has the most Programs of Excellence?
Pacific Pines State High School lists 12 Programs of Excellence in its enrolment management plan, from AFL, netball, soccer and touch to dance, drama, music, Japanese, technology, STEM, English and business. Robina (seven), and Helensvale and Merrimac (six each), list the next most among the top 10.