Top 10 State High Schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa: 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 Sunshine Coast and in Noosa on 2025 results for Years 7–10 are Kawana Waters State College at Bokarina (91), Sunshine Beach State High School (90), Coolum State High School (89) and Chancellor State College at Sippy Downs (88).[1]
This guide ranks the state schools with secondary years in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas by Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score. It shows which of the top 10 run an enrolment management plan and Programs of Excellence, and how to check a home’s high school catchment before you buy.
Key takeaways
- Kawana Waters State College (91) leads the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s state high schools on 2025 results, ahead of Sunshine Beach (90), Coolum (89) and Chancellor State College (88).[1]
- Nine of the top 10 run an enrolment management plan (EMP), so for them your address decides your place; Noosa District State High School is the exception.[2]
- Seven of the top 10 list Programs of Excellence with a set number of places, from surfing at Sunshine Beach to the International Baccalaureate at Mountain Creek, 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 Sunshine Coast and Noosa state high schools?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score for Years 7–10, the top 10 state high schools across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa are led by Kawana Waters (91), Sunshine Beach (90) and Coolum (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. The suburb is the school’s own address, 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 | Council | 2025 score | EMP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kawana Waters State College | Bokarina | Sunshine Coast | 91 | Yes |
| 2 | Sunshine Beach State High School | Sunshine Beach | Noosa | 90 | Yes |
| 3 | Coolum State High School | Coolum Beach | Sunshine Coast | 89 | Yes |
| 4 | Chancellor State College | Sippy Downs | Sunshine Coast | 88 | Yes |
| 5 | Maroochydore State High School | Maroochydore | Sunshine Coast | 86 | Yes |
| 6 | Noosa District State High School | Cooroy | Noosa | 85 | No |
| 7 | Burnside State High School | Burnside | Sunshine Coast | 84 | Yes |
| =8 | Maleny State High School | Maleny | Sunshine Coast | 83 | Yes |
| =8 | Mountain Creek State High School | Mountain Creek | Sunshine Coast | 83 | Yes |
| 10 | Caloundra State High School | Caloundra | Sunshine Coast | 82 | Yes |
Kawana Waters and Chancellor state colleges run from Prep to Year 12 and are ranked on their secondary years. Just outside the top 10 are Nambour State College (81) and Palmview State Secondary College (79). Baringa State Secondary College has no 2025 score on Better Education’s suburb pages, so it is not ranked.
How were the schools ranked?
We ranked the state schools with secondary years in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas by their 2025 State Overall Score on Better Education’s secondary suburb ratings pages, and checked every score and enrolment plan on 7 November 2026.[1] The schools are the 15 on the Queensland Government’s 2026 lists of junior and senior secondary sites that fall inside the two council areas, from Beerwah and Caloundra in the south to Noosa District State High School in the north.[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, the 91 in first place is about the top 22.5% of Queensland schools, and the 82 in 10th place about the top 45%.[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 and that readers should do their own research.[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 Kawana Waters and Chancellor, as Prep to Year 12 colleges, have separate primary and secondary catchments.[11][12] So check the address on EdMap for every stage, not just the school nearest you.[13]
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.[14] Six of the top 10 operate under a negotiated catchment area, including Kawana Waters and Coolum,[15] while Sunshine Beach, Mountain Creek and Caloundra have equidistant catchments.[16][17]
Eleven of the 15 state schools with secondary years in the two council areas have an EMP, including nine of the top 10. Beerwah State High School, Meridan State College, Nambour State College and Noosa District State High School 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.[14]
Each plan sets a maximum enrolment capacity, from 757 students at Maleny State High School[18] to 3,732 at Chancellor State College, which takes Prep to Year 12.[12] 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] Seven schools in the top 10 list programs in their plans:
| School | Programs of Excellence (places) |
|---|---|
| Kawana Waters State College[11] | Arts Excellence 104; Football Excellence 140; Academic Curriculum Extension 190; Aquatics Excellence 198 |
| Sunshine Beach State High School[16] | Music Excellence (Performance in Music Program) 225; Excellence in Surfing 64 |
| Chancellor State College[12] | Pathways to Success—Academic Futures 90; Touch Football 140; Football 140 |
| Maroochydore State High School[19] | DRIVE Senior Academic 90; DRIVE Junior Academic 90; DRIVE Music 90; DRIVE Encore—Creative Industries 90 |
| Burnside State High School[20] | Horizons 225; Volleyball 105 |
| Maleny State High School[18] | Music Excellence 54 |
| Mountain Creek State High School[3] | Zenith 476; International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 200; rugby league 128; volleyball 56; AFL 56; basketball 56 |
The plans for Coolum and Caloundra list no programs, and Noosa District has no plan.[2] 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 Caloundra in the south to Sunshine Beach and Cooroy in Noosa. They fall into four groups. These are descriptions, not recommendations, and a school nearby is not the same as a home in its catchment.
Kawana, Mountain Creek and Caloundra
Kawana Waters State College in Bokarina is first on 91, Mountain Creek State High School in Mountain Creek =8th on 83 and Caloundra State High School in Caloundra 10th on 82. All three run EMPs. Between them, Kawana Waters and Mountain Creek offer 10 Programs of Excellence.
Noosa: Sunshine Beach and Noosa District
Sunshine Beach State High School is second on 90, runs an EMP and has programs in music and surfing.[16] Noosa District State High School is sixth on 85 and had no EMP on the 1 October list. It teaches Years 9 to 12 at its Cooroy campus, with a junior campus at Pomona.[21] For prices and rents, see our Noosa property market guide and Noosa suburb reports.
Coolum, Sippy Downs and Maroochydore
Coolum State High School is third on 89, Chancellor State College at Sippy Downs fourth on 88, and Maroochydore State High School in Maroochydore fifth on 86. All three run EMPs. Chancellor’s plan sets the largest capacity in the top 10, 3,732 students from Prep to Year 12.[12]
The hinterland: Burnside and Maleny
Burnside State High School, next to Nambour, is seventh on 84 and Maleny State High School =8th on 83. Both run EMPs, and their plans set the two smallest capacities in the top 10: 884 students at Burnside[20] and 757 at Maleny.[18] For prices and rents across the region, see our Sunshine Coast property market guide and the full set of Sunshine Coast suburb reports.
- 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.[14]
- 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. 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), and on the Sunshine Coast we have bought in Bli Bli, Mount Coolum and Sippy Downs (read the Sippy Downs 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 10 state high schools in Moreton Bay.
Kawana Waters, Sunshine Beach and Coolum lead the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s state high schools on 2025 results. Nine 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 Sunshine Coast or in Noosa 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 — Mountain Creek 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 — Kawana Waters State College: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Chancellor State 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 — Coolum State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Sunshine Beach State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Caloundra State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Maleny State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Maroochydore State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Department of Education — Burnside State High School: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
- Noosa District State High School — Senior Secondary (Cooroy) campus (Years 9 to 12; junior secondary campus at Pomona)
What is the best state high school on the Sunshine Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score for Years 7–10, Kawana Waters State College at Bokarina ranks first among the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s state high schools with 91, ahead of Sunshine Beach State High School (90), Coolum State High School (89) and Chancellor State College (88). The score reflects English and maths results only, so read each school’s My School profile and visit.
What is the best state high school in Noosa?
Sunshine Beach State High School, with a 2025 score of 90 for Years 7–10, is the top state high school in Noosa Shire and second across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa. It runs an enrolment management plan with Programs of Excellence in music and surfing. Noosa District State High School, with campuses at Pomona and Cooroy, scored 85 and had no plan on the 1 October 2026 list.
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 a number of places in each program, and students from outside the catchment get them only after local demand is met. Seven of the Sunshine Coast and Noosa top 10 list programs, including Kawana Waters, Sunshine Beach and Mountain Creek.
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 Kawana Waters and Chancellor 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 Sunshine Coast and Noosa state high schools have no enrolment management plan?
On the Department of Education’s list of 1 October 2026, four of the 15 state schools with secondary years in the two council areas had no enrolment management plan: Beerwah State High School, Meridan State College, Nambour State College and Noosa District State High School. Their catchments are not enforced, but a school must adopt a plan once utilisation reaches 80% and keeps rising.