Australian School Search: ICSEA, Enrolments and School Zones

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) is ACARA's scale of the educational advantage that a school's students bring from home, set at a median of 1,000 and a standard deviation of 100. It describes a school's students, not the quality of its teaching.

Independent schools have the highest median ICSEA in Australia (1,066), followed by Catholic schools (1,046) and government schools (982). Government schools have the lowest median of the three sectors in every state and territory.

ICSEA explained, with 2025 figures by state, sector and school type and the highest ICSEA schools

Each school profile shows its ICSEA (explained in ICSEA explained), enrolments and, for Victorian government schools, the school zone.

Enrolments and students per teacher

Enrolments are ACARA's total enrolment count for the 2025 school year. Students per teacher divides enrolments by the number of teaching staff. Staff are counted by head, so part-time teachers count as one, and the figure describes staffing levels rather than class sizes.

School zones

Victorian students have a legal right to enrol at their designated neighbourhood government school, which is set by the school zone their permanent address falls in. We map the Victorian Department of Education's 2025 zones. The department reviews zones every year, so confirm on Find My School before enrolling. Other states publish catchments differently, and Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment policies.

Sources: ACARA My School and the ACARA Data Access Program (School Profile and School Location 2025); Victorian Department of Education.