Top 20 State Primary Schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa: 2025 Results, Catchments and Enrolment Plans
By Tim AllenBuyer’s Agent and Director, IPS Buyer’s Agents
The top state primary schools on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa on 2025 academic results are Cooran, Federal and Maleny state schools, which share first place with a score of 97, followed by Buderim Mountain State School (96) and Mooloolaba State School (95).[1]
This guide ranks every state school with primary years in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas 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
- Cooran, Federal and Maleny share first place on 97, and Buderim Mountain (96) and Mooloolaba (95) follow.[1]
- Five schools share 18th place on 89, so our top 20 has 22 schools: 18 in the Sunshine Coast Council area and four in Noosa Shire.
- Fifteen 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 none of the three schools sharing first place had one 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 Sunshine Coast and Noosa state primary schools?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score, the top 20 places across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa go to 22 state schools, led by Cooran, Federal and Maleny (97), Buderim Mountain (96) and Mooloolaba (95).[1] Schools on the same score share a rank (marked =) and are listed alphabetically. The suburb is the school’s own address, linked to our suburb report where we have one. 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 | Council | 2025 score | EMP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Cooran State School | Cooran | Noosa | 97 | No |
| =1 | Federal State School | Federal | Noosa | 97 | No |
| =1 | Maleny State School | Maleny | Sunshine Coast | 97 | No |
| 4 | Buderim Mountain State School | Buderim | Sunshine Coast | 96 | Yes |
| 5 | Mooloolaba State School | Mooloolaba | Sunshine Coast | 95 | Yes |
| 6 | Eumundi State School | Eumundi | Sunshine Coast | 94 | Yes |
| =7 | Currimundi State School | Currimundi | Sunshine Coast | 93 | Yes |
| =7 | Pomona State School | Pomona | Noosa | 93 | No |
| =9 | Kuluin State School | Kuluin | Sunshine Coast | 92 | Yes |
| =9 | Montville State School | Montville | Sunshine Coast | 92 | No |
| =9 | North Arm State School | North Arm | Sunshine Coast | 92 | Yes |
| =9 | Peregian Springs State School | Peregian Springs | Sunshine Coast | 92 | Yes |
| =9 | Talara Primary College | Currimundi | Sunshine Coast | 92 | Yes |
| =14 | Chancellor State College | Sippy Downs | Sunshine Coast | 91 | Yes |
| =14 | Sunshine Beach State School | Sunshine Beach | Noosa | 91 | Yes |
| =16 | Caloundra State School | Caloundra | Sunshine Coast | 90 | Yes |
| =16 | Mapleton State School | Mapleton | Sunshine Coast | 90 | No |
| =18 | Brightwater State School | Mountain Creek | Sunshine Coast | 89 | Yes |
| =18 | Chevallum State School | Chevallum | Sunshine Coast | 89 | Yes |
| =18 | Coolum State School | Coolum Beach | Sunshine Coast | 89 | Yes |
| =18 | Peachester State School | Peachester | Sunshine Coast | 89 | No |
| =18 | Yandina State School | Yandina | Sunshine Coast | 89 | Yes |
Chancellor State College runs from Prep to Year 12 and is listed for its primary years. Glenview State School, Kenilworth State Community College and Nirimba State Primary School have no 2025 score on Better Education’s suburb pages, so they are not ranked.
How were the schools ranked?
We ranked every state school with primary years in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas by its 2025 State Overall Score on Better Education’s suburb ratings pages, and checked every score and enrolment plan on 7 November 2026.[1] The schools are the 50 state primary sites on the Queensland Government’s 2026 list that fall in the two council areas, from Beerburrum and Golden Beach in the south to Kin Kin in the north.[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, the 97 shared in first place is about the top 7.5% of Queensland schools, and the 89 shared in 18th place about the top 27.5%.[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]
Check any home on EdMap, the Government’s catchment map, using its exact street address, not the suburb or the street next to it.[11]
Catchments are not fixed. The Statistician’s Office reviews them every year and updates them where needed, for example for new roads and subdivisions or a new school opening nearby. Students already enrolled at a school 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] |
Fifteen of the 22 top-20 schools run an EMP.[2] Eleven of the 15 state schools with secondary years in the two council areas run EMPs too, among them Kawana Waters, Sunshine Beach, Coolum, Maroochydore and Mountain Creek, so check the secondary 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.
Currimundi has two schools in the top 20, and 20 other suburbs have one each, from Cooran in the Noosa hinterland to Caloundra in the south. The five groups below are descriptions, not recommendations, and a nearby school is not the same as a home in its catchment.
Noosa: Cooran, Federal, Pomona and Sunshine Beach
Four of the 22 schools are in Noosa Shire: Cooran and Federal in the hinterland share first place on 97, Pomona is =7th on 93 and Sunshine Beach =14th on 91. Only Sunshine Beach runs an EMP. For prices and rents, see our Noosa property market guide and Noosa suburb reports.
Maleny and the Blackall Range
Maleny State School shares first place on 97, and Montville (92) and Mapleton (90) also make the top 20, as does Peachester (89), west of Beerwah. None of the four was on the EMP list, so their catchments are not enforced for now.
Buderim, Mooloolaba and Sippy Downs
Six schools in and around Buderim and Mooloolaba make the top 20, and all six run EMPs: Buderim Mountain (96), Mooloolaba (95), Kuluin (92), Chancellor State College at Sippy Downs (91), and Brightwater in Mountain Creek and Chevallum (both 89).
The north: Eumundi to Coolum
North of Nambour, Eumundi (94), North Arm (92) and Yandina (89) make the top 20, and on the coast so do Peregian Springs (92) and Coolum (89). All five run EMPs.
Caloundra and Currimundi
In the south, Currimundi State School (93) and Talara Primary College (92) give Currimundi two schools in the top 20, and Caloundra State School in Caloundra is =16th on 90. All three run EMPs.
Caloundra South: a new primary school at Banya in 2028
The Department of Education is building a new Prep to Year 6 state school on the corner of Western Drive and Tyndall Circuit in Banya, part of Caloundra South. It is expected to open in Term 1 2028 to ease enrolments in nearby schools.[12] A new school is one of the triggers for redrawing nearby catchments, so check EdMap again closer to the time.[3] For the area, see our Baringa guide.
For prices and rents across the region, see our Sunshine Coast property market guide, our guide to the best suburbs on the Sunshine Coast and the full set of Sunshine Coast suburb reports.
- 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), and on the Sunshine Coast we have bought in Bli Bli, Mount Coolum and Sippy Downs (read the Bli Bli 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 20 state primary schools in Moreton Bay.
Cooran, Federal and Maleny lead the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s state primary schools on 2025 results, ahead of Buderim Mountain and Mooloolaba. For 15 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 Sunshine Coast or in Noosa 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 — New primary school for Caloundra South (last updated 24 July 2026)
What is the best state primary school on the Sunshine Coast?
On Better Education’s 2025 State Overall Score, three state schools share first place across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa with 97: Cooran and Federal state schools in the Noosa hinterland and Maleny State School. Buderim Mountain (96) and Mooloolaba (95) follow. The score reflects English and maths results only, so read each school’s My School profile and visit.
What is the best state primary school in Noosa?
Cooran and Federal state schools, both in the Noosa hinterland, share first place in Noosa Shire with a 2025 score of 97, which is also the top score across the Sunshine Coast. Pomona State School (93) and Sunshine Beach State School (91) are the other Noosa schools in our top 20. Of the four, only Sunshine Beach runs an enrolment management plan.
How do I check a school catchment on the Sunshine Coast or in Noosa?
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.
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 Sunshine Coast and Noosa state primary schools have no enrolment management plan?
Of the 22 schools in our 2025 top 20, seven were not on the Department of Education’s enrolment management plan list of 1 October 2026: Cooran, Federal, Maleny, Pomona, Montville, Mapleton and Peachester state schools. Their catchments are not enforced, but a school must adopt a plan once utilisation reaches 80% and keeps rising, so ask the school how enrolments are tracking.
Is a new state primary school opening on the Sunshine Coast?
Yes. The Department of Education is building a Prep to Year 6 state school in Banya, part of Caloundra South, on the corner of Western Drive and Tyndall Circuit. It is expected to open in Term 1 2028, with a principal appointed in 2027. A new school is one of the triggers for redrawing nearby catchments.