Top 20 State Primary Schools on the Gold Coast: 2025 Results, Catchments and Enrolment Plans
By Tim AllenBuyer’s Agent and Director, IPS Buyer’s Agents
The top state primary schools on the Gold Coast on 2025 academic results are Broadbeach State School (98), followed by Bellevue Park, Benowa, Currumbin Valley and Tallebudgera state schools, which share second place on 96.[1]
This guide ranks every state school with primary years in the City of Gold Coast council area (no Logan, Scenic Rim or Tweed schools) by Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score, shows which of the top 20 run an enrolment management plan, and explains how to check a home’s catchment before you buy.
Key takeaways
- Broadbeach (98) leads the Gold Coast’s state primary schools, ahead of Bellevue Park, Benowa, Currumbin Valley and Tallebudgera (96) and Miami and Robina (95).[1]
- Four schools share 19th place on 90, so our top 20 has 22 schools.
- Seventeen of the 22 run an enrolment management plan (EMP), so a child who lives outside the catchment gets a place only if the school has room.[2]
- Every state school has a catchment, but it is enforced only where the school runs an EMP,[3] and Currumbin Valley, Burleigh Heads, Ingleside, Springbrook and Gilston had none on the 1 October 2026 list.[2]
- To prove you live in an EMP school’s catchment 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.[4]
What are the top 20 state primary schools on the Gold Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score, the top 20 places on the Gold Coast go to 22 state schools, led by Broadbeach (98), Bellevue Park, Benowa, Currumbin Valley and Tallebudgera (96), and Miami and Robina (95).[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 enrolment management plan (EMP) list of 1 October 2026.[2]
| Rank | State primary school | Suburb | 2025 score | EMP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broadbeach State School | Broadbeach | 98 | Yes |
| =2 | Bellevue Park State School | Ashmore | 96 | Yes |
| =2 | Benowa State School | Benowa | 96 | Yes |
| =2 | Currumbin Valley State School | Currumbin Valley | 96 | No |
| =2 | Tallebudgera State School | Tallebudgera | 96 | Yes |
| =6 | Miami State School | Mermaid Waters | 95 | Yes |
| =6 | Robina State School | Robina | 95 | Yes |
| =8 | Clover Hill State School | Mudgeeraba | 94 | Yes |
| =8 | Elanora State School | Elanora | 94 | Yes |
| =8 | Varsity College | Varsity Lakes | 94 | Yes |
| =11 | Burleigh Heads State School | Burleigh Heads | 92 | No |
| =11 | Caningeraba State School | Burleigh Waters | 92 | Yes |
| =11 | Currumbin State School | Currumbin | 92 | Yes |
| =11 | Ingleside State School | Tallebudgera Valley | 92 | No |
| =15 | Ashmore State School | Ashmore | 91 | Yes |
| =15 | Palm Beach State School | Palm Beach | 91 | Yes |
| =15 | Park Lake State School | Pacific Pines | 91 | Yes |
| =15 | Springbrook State School | Springbrook | 91 | No |
| =19 | Arundel State School | Arundel | 90 | Yes |
| =19 | Gilston State School | Gilston | 90 | No |
| =19 | Mudgeeraba Creek State School | Mudgeeraba | 90 | Yes |
| =19 | Pimpama State School | Pimpama | 90 | Yes |
Varsity College runs from Prep to Year 12 and is listed for its primary years. Next come Musgrave Hill (89), and Coombabah and Surfers Paradise state schools (88). Numinbah Valley State School has no 2025 score on Better Education’s suburb pages, so it is not ranked.[1]
How were the schools ranked?
We ranked every state school with primary years in the City of Gold Coast by its 2025 State Overall Score on Better Education’s suburb ratings pages, and checked every score and enrolment plan on 8 November 2026.[1] The schools are the 51 state primary sites on the Queensland Government’s 2026 list that fall in the council area, from Woongoolba and Pimpama in the north to Coolangatta and Currumbin Valley in the south, including the new Gainsborough State School at Pimpama.[5][6]
Better Education’s State Overall Score rates a school’s English and maths test results from 60 to 100. On Better Education’s own conversion, Broadbeach’s 98 is about the top 5% of Queensland schools, and the 90 shared in 19th place about the top 25%.[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 school is the one closest to your home, measured by the shortest, most direct road route to the school’s main entrance. Its catchment is the area where its core intake of students must live.[10] The Queensland Government Statistician’s Office draws catchments from distances along the road network, not from suburb boundaries, so one suburb can be split between schools.[3] On the Gold Coast, canals and the Nerang River can make the school that looks closest on a map a long drive away.
Check any home on EdMap, the Government’s catchment map, using its exact street address.[11] Catchments are reviewed every year and updated where needed, for example for new roads and subdivisions or a new school opening nearby, and students already enrolled are not affected when a boundary moves.[3]
A School Enrolment Management Plan (EMP) is how a Queensland state 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.[3] A school needs one once its utilisation reaches 80% and is trending upwards, and can drop it at 70% or lower and falling. Under an EMP, the principal cannot enrol out-of-catchment students unless there is spare capacity,[4] and their applications go on a waiting list in the order received.[10]
| Your situation | School with an EMP | School without an EMP |
|---|---|---|
| You live in the catchment | Your child is entitled to enrol | Your child is entitled to enrol |
| You live outside the catchment | A place only if there is spare capacity, from a waiting list | The catchment is not enforced; ask the school about places |
| An older child already attends | Siblings are entitled to enrol, even from outside the catchment | No catchment restriction applies |
| What to check before you buy | The school’s plan and the proof of address it asks for | Whether enrolments are rising towards the 80% trigger[4] |
Seventeen of the 22 top-20 schools run an EMP, and so do 37 of the 50 ranked Gold Coast state schools with primary years.[2] Fourteen of the 17 state schools with secondary years run one too, so check the high school catchment for the same address.[2]
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, such as electricity or gas, showing the same address and the parent’s name). Together they must show that the home in the catchment is your child’s principal place of residence, and the principal can ask for more evidence.[4]
Two details matter for buyers. A contract counts only once it is unconditional, so one still subject to finance or a building and pest inspection is not enough. And the student must be living in the catchment when the application is made, so settle and move in before you apply.[4]
- Ask the school when it takes applications for your child’s year level, and plan back from that date.
- Check the exact address on EdMap before you make an offer, and keep a copy of the result.
- Check the EMP list, and read the school’s plan for the documents it wants.
- Allow time for the contract to go unconditional, settlement, the move and a utility account in your name before that date.
- If time is tight, renting in the catchment while you search also works, because a current lease is accepted proof.
The 22 schools are spread from Pimpama to Currumbin Valley, in five groups. These are descriptions, not recommendations, and a nearby school is not the same as a home in its catchment.
Broadbeach, Benowa and Ashmore
Broadbeach State School is first on 98, and four more schools nearby make the top 20: Bellevue Park at Ashmore and Benowa (96), Miami at Mermaid Waters (95) and Ashmore (91). All five run EMPs.
Robina, Varsity Lakes and Mudgeeraba
Robina State School (95), Varsity College (94, ranked on its primary years), Clover Hill at Mudgeeraba (94) and Mudgeeraba Creek (90) all run EMPs. Varsity College’s plan caps Prep at 200 children in eight classes unless more local children enrol.[12]
Burleigh to Currumbin
The southern Gold Coast has eight of the 22: Currumbin Valley and Tallebudgera (96), Elanora (94), Burleigh Heads, Caningeraba at Burleigh Waters, Currumbin and Ingleside in Tallebudgera Valley (92), and Palm Beach (91). Currumbin Valley, Burleigh Heads and Ingleside had no EMP on the 1 October list; the other five run one.
The hinterland: Springbrook and Gilston
Springbrook (91) and Gilston (90) are the two hinterland schools in the top 20, and neither was on the EMP list.
The northern Gold Coast
Park Lake at Pacific Pines (91), Arundel (90) and Pimpama (90) make the top 20 from the north, and all three run EMPs. In the growth corridor, the new Gainsborough State School at Pimpama scored 81.[1] See our guide to the northern Gold Coast suburbs.
For prices and rents across the city, see our Gold Coast property market guide, our guide to the best suburbs on the Gold Coast and moving to the Gold Coast.
- Trusting the listing. “In the catchment” in an advertisement is a selling line, not proof; check the address on EdMap.[11]
- Buying on a boundary without a plan B. Catchments follow road distance and are reviewed every year, although children already enrolled are not affected.[3]
- 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.[4]
Moving for a 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 catchment and EMP status 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 enrolment date. 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).
Broadbeach leads the Gold Coast’s state primary schools on 2025 results, ahead of Bellevue Park, Benowa, Currumbin Valley and Tallebudgera. For 17 of the 22 schools in our top 20, your address decides whether your child gets a place, so check EdMap, check the EMP list, and time the contract and the move around the enrolment date.
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 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 school in mind? Tell us the school and your budget, and we will shortlist homes in its catchment.
- Better Education — QLD Suburb Ratings by Primary School Results (2025 school scores, by suburb)
- Department of Education — School enrolment management plans (schools with an EMP, last updated 1 October 2026)
- Queensland Government — State school catchments: frequently asked questions (Word document)
- Department of Education — School Enrolment Management Plans (School EMPs) procedure, version 7.5
- Queensland Government Open Data Portal — Queensland state schools—geographic information (Primary sites – 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 — School catchment areas (last updated 17 June 2026)
- Queensland Government Statistician’s Office — EdMap, Queensland state school catchment maps
- Department of Education — Varsity College: School Enrolment Management Plan (last updated 22 January 2026)
What is the best state primary school on the Gold Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score, Broadbeach State School ranks first among the Gold Coast’s state primary schools with 98, ahead of Bellevue Park, Benowa, Currumbin Valley and Tallebudgera state schools (96 each) and Miami and Robina (95). The score reflects English and maths results only, so read each school’s My School profile and visit.
How do I check a school catchment on the Gold Coast?
Enter the exact street address into EdMap, the Queensland Government’s state school catchment map. Catchments follow road distance to each school’s main entrance, not suburb boundaries, and they are reviewed every year, so check the address itself and check again before you apply.
Can my child go to a state 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, from a waiting list in the order received, although siblings of current students are entitled to enrol. Schools without a plan do not enforce their catchment.
Does a contract of sale count as proof of address for school enrolment in Queensland?
Only an unconditional one. For schools with an enrolment management plan, the Department of Education accepts a current lease, a rates notice or an unconditional contract of sale, plus a utility bill in the parent’s name at the same address. The student must also be living in the catchment when you apply, so settle and move in first.
Which top Gold Coast state primary schools have no enrolment management plan?
Of the 22 schools in our 2025 top 20, five were not on the Department of Education’s enrolment management plan list of 1 October 2026: Currumbin Valley, Burleigh Heads, Ingleside, Springbrook and Gilston state schools. Their catchments are not enforced, but a school must adopt a plan once utilisation reaches 80% and keeps rising.
What is the best state primary school in the northern Gold Coast?
On 2025 results, Park Lake State School at Pacific Pines (91) and Arundel and Pimpama state schools (90 each) are the top-ranked state primary schools in the northern Gold Coast, and all three run enrolment management plans. The new Gainsborough State School at Pimpama scored 81.