Best Catholic Schools in Adelaide | 2025 Rankings & Insights
Catholic schools form one of the largest and most geographically distributed education networks in South Australia. Unlike the independent Anglican and non-denominational sectors, Catholic education in SA is characterised by a high proportion of co-educational schools, a smaller number of single-sex institutions and a strong emphasis on community, pastoral care and values-based learning.
Schools360’s 2025 Catholic Schools Rankings provide an independent, data-driven assessment of how Catholic schools perform across academic outcomes, student wellbeing, learning environment quality, program depth and long-term institutional capability.
Use the table below to explore the leaders in Melbourne’s private boys education for 2025.
Updated December 2025 · Independent analysis by Schools360
2025 Rankings | Adelaide’s Catholic Schools
This table shows the full list of Catholic schools in South Australia for 2025.
Top 10 Catholic Schools in Adelaide (2025)
Image credit: Xavier College, Gawler Belt
1. Xavier College
Location: Gawler Belt
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: The highest-ranked Catholic school in South Australia with an 87.2 percent score. Strong academic outcomes, well-developed pastoral systems and broad co-curricular offerings. A clear leader within the Catholic sector.
2. Saint Ignatius’ College
Location: Athelstone
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: Scores 85.1 percent with solid academic performance and strong wellbeing structures. Consistent results supported by stable leadership and community engagement.
3. Mercedes College
Location: Springfield
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: An 82.4 percent score reflecting balanced academic outcomes, supportive wellbeing culture and a stable learning environment. Well-regarded for holistic student development.
4. Nazareth Catholic College
Location: Flinders Park
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: Scores 80.2 percent with consistent pastoral care, reliable teaching quality and a positive school culture.
5. Loreto College Marryatville
Location: Marryatville
Type: Catholic girls school
Strengths: A 79.7 percent score supported by strong wellbeing systems, values-based education and stable academic outcomes. One of the leading Catholic girls schools in the state.
6. St Francis De Sales College
Location: Mount Barker
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: Scores 78.9 percent with strong student support, community connection and consistent learning outcomes.
7. Cardijn College
Location: Noarlunga Downs
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: A 77.0 percent score reflecting strong pastoral systems and a supportive learning environment across multiple campuses.
8. Blackfriars Priory School
Location: Prospect
Type: Catholic boys school
Strengths: Scores 76.6 percent with strong wellbeing focus, values-driven culture and consistent academic delivery. One of the few boys-only Catholic schools in South Australia.
9. Mount Carmel College
Location: Rosewater
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: A 75.7 percent score supported by strong pastoral care, inclusive culture and steady academic performance.
10. Cabra Dominican College
Location: Cumberland Park
Type: Catholic co-educational school
Strengths: Scores 75.2 percent with a strong focus on wellbeing, community values and student engagement.
Key Insights
Catholic schools in South Australia operate within a compressed performance range, with fewer schools reaching the high-80s compared to the independent sector. Xavier College stands clearly at the top, followed by a small group of schools achieving solid but less differentiated results.
Co-educational schools dominate the upper ranks of the Catholic category. This reflects enrolment demand, economies of scale and the ability to sustain broader subject offerings and co-curricular programs compared to single-sex Catholic schools.
Academic performance across Catholic schools is generally steady rather than exceptional. While senior outcomes are reliable, fewer schools demonstrate the depth of academic extension or subject breadth seen in the state’s leading independent schools.
Wellbeing is a defining strength of the Catholic sector. Pastoral care, community culture and values-based education consistently support positive student experiences, even where academic or program breadth varies.
Learning Environment quality is generally stable across the top schools, supported by experienced teaching staff and structured learning frameworks. Variability increases in smaller or regional schools where facilities and specialist programs are more constrained.
Institutional capability is strongest among larger, long-established Catholic colleges with stable leadership and strong community support.
Overall, Catholic schools in South Australia deliver consistent, community-centred education, with performance shaped more by scale and geography than by selectivity.
Snapshot for 2025
Only one Catholic school exceeds 87 percent, highlighting the absence of a large elite tier within the SA Catholic sector.
Performance is tightly clustered, with most Catholic schools sitting between the mid-70s and low-80s.
Co-educational schools dominate the top 10, reinforcing the sector’s structural shift away from single-sex models.
Catholic boys-only options are limited, reducing choice for families seeking single-sex education within the Catholic system.
Wellbeing and culture act as stabilisers, producing consistent student experiences across schools with varied academic profiles.
Scale matters, with larger metropolitan schools achieving stronger results than smaller or regional campuses.
Catholic education remains geographically widespread, continuing to play a key role in servicing both metropolitan and regional communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
These questions help explain how Schools360 evaluates and updates private school rankings across Australia.
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Schools360 uses a 60-Element Scoring Framework that assesses academic results, learning environment, student wellbeing, culture, co-curricular depth and institutional excellence. The framework focuses on balanced, holistic school performance rather than a single academic metric.
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Rankings are based on publicly available data, school-reported information and independent Schools360 research. Each school’s profile reflects the most reliable and current data available at the time of the annual update.
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Rankings are updated annually, with the current page reflecting the latest 2025 update. Additional refinements may be made when schools provide new information or when verified updates become available.
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Yes. Each school’s profile includes an option for corrections or feedback. Schools360 reviews all submissions and updates school profiles when verified changes are received.
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