Best Boys Schools in Sydney | 2025 Rankings & Insights
Sydney’s private boys schools have a long tradition of academic ambition, pastoral care and broad learning opportunities. Schools360’s 2025 Rankings offer an independent view of the schools that stand out across student development, learning environment, culture and institutional excellence.
Use the table below to explore the leaders in Sydney’s private boys education for 2025.
Updated December 2025 · Independent analysis by Schools360
2025 Rankings | Sydney Private Boys Schools
This table shows the full list of private boys schools in Sydney, NSW for 2025.
Top 10 Boys Schools in Sydney (2025)
Image credit: Sydney Grammar, Darlinghurst
1. The King’s School
Location: North Parramatta
Type: Independent Christian boys school
Strengths: The highest performer in the category with a 92.7 percent score. Strong academic outcomes, broad program depth and extensive leadership and outdoor education programs. A well-established school with significant institutional capability.
2. Trinity Grammar School
Location: Summer Hill
Type: Independent Anglican boys school
Strengths: A strong 92.4 percent driven by excellent academic performance, high-quality teaching and expansive co-curricular offerings. Known for balanced development and strong wellbeing systems.
3. Knox Grammar School
Location: Wahroonga
Type: Independent non-denominational boys school
Strengths: A 92.3 percent score with standout strength across academics, wellbeing, learning environment and program breadth. Strong governance and high expectations position Knox consistently among NSW’s top performers.
4. Sydney Grammar School
Location: Darlinghurst
Type: Independent boys school
Strengths: A strong academic culture reflected in its 90.5 percent score. Renowned for rigorous academic pathways, exceptional teaching quality and depth in music and co-curricular activities.
5. SHORE - Sydney Church of England Grammar School
Location: North Sydney
Type: Independent Anglican boys school
Strengths: Also scoring 90.5 percent. Strong academic profile supported by excellent wellbeing and a well-structured learning environment. Known for leadership development and a supportive culture.
6. Cranbrook School
Location: Bellevue Hill
Type: Independent Anglican boys school
Strengths: A 90.0 percent score, with strength across academics, learning environment and pastoral care. Broad co-curricular programs and strong institutional capability underpin consistently positive outcomes.
7. The Scots College
Location: Bellevue Hill
Type: Independent non-denominational boys school
Strengths: Strong all-round performance with an 89.9 percent score. Known for academic ambition, impressive facilities, leadership programs and a well-developed outdoor education offering.
8. Newington College
Location: Stanmore
Type: Independent non-denominational boys school
Strengths: An 89.3 percent score with balanced strength across academic performance, wellbeing and learning environment quality. Large program breadth supports diverse student interests and pathways.
9. St Aloysius’ College
Location: Kirribilli
Type: Independent Catholic boys school
Strengths: A strong 86.0 percent reflecting solid academics, a supportive culture and high-quality pastoral systems. Known for values-based education and balanced student development.
10. Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview
Location: Lane Cove
Type: Independent Catholic boys school
Strengths: An 85.1 percent score driven by strong wellbeing, rich co-curricular offerings and a stable learning environment. High community engagement and leadership development shape strong student outcomes.
Key Insights
The top boys schools in Sydney show a clear performance hierarchy, with a small group of schools separating from the rest of the category. The King’s School, Trinity Grammar and Knox Grammar form a strong academic top tier with scores above 92 percent. These schools combine rigorous academic programs with strong wellbeing systems, broad co-curricular offerings and well-developed institutional capability.
A competitive cluster sits just below the top tier. Sydney Grammar, SHORE, Cranbrook, Scots College and Newington all score between 89 and 90.5 percent. These schools demonstrate strong academic outcomes supported by high-quality teaching, strong engagement and extensive program breadth. Many offer standout opportunities in music, sport, STEM, outdoor education and leadership.
Learning Environment performance varies more than in the girls category. While the top schools record strong results, mid-tier boys schools show greater variability in classroom stability, facilities and engagement outcomes. This is reflected in a slightly wider spread of scores across the category.
Program breadth is a notable differentiator. Leading boys schools offer expansive pathways across academics, sport, creative arts, technology, leadership and outdoor education. Schools such as Knox, Trinity and Scots stand out for the depth and structure of their co-curricular programs.
Wellbeing performance is consistently strong across the top 10, supported by mature pastoral systems and strong leadership frameworks. Many boys schools complement traditional wellbeing structures with outdoor education, house systems and character development programs.
Institutional Excellence shows meaningful variation, reflecting differences in governance maturity, scale, financial resources and strategic capability. The highest performers demonstrate long-term stability and strong organisational leadership.
Overall, Sydney’s top boys schools show strong and balanced performance, with academically strong schools supported by robust learning environments and program breadth that contribute to consistently positive student outcomes.
Snapshot for 2025
The academic top tier of boys schools is tightly defined, with only three schools scoring above 92 percent. A strong mid-tier cluster between 89 and 90.5 percent demonstrates competitive academic outcomes supported by high-quality teaching and broad program offerings.
Program breadth is a clear strength across the top schools, with extensive options in sport, arts, STEM, leadership and outdoor education.
Learning Environment scores are strong at the top but more variable across the full category, reflecting differences in facilities, teaching depth and engagement.
Wellbeing systems are consistently strong, supported by structured pastoral programs and strong school cultures.
Institutional Excellence shows differentiation across the category, with the top schools demonstrating strong governance and long-term capability.
The strongest performers cluster in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, north shore and north-west region.
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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