Schools360 Ranking Methodology

Our school rankings are based on a deep understanding of what matters most to parents, and incorporates global research on successful educational experiences

We developed the Schools360 framework based on dozens of interviews with parents to understand the important considerations when choosing a school, and countless hours of research into what the 'professionals' say are the most important factors in determining a successful educational experience.

Our Schools360 framework seeks to answer five key questions that are important to parents:

1. ​Academic Excellence: How well does the school perform academically?
2. ​Student Wellbeing: How well will the school look after my child's wellbeing and individual needs?
3. ​Learning Opportunities: Does the school offer extensive learning and experiential opportunities for my child?
4. ​Learning Environment: Does the school offer a great environment for my child to realise their full potential?
5. ​Institutional Excellence: How well is the school run?

The table below outlines our Schools360 framework, which consists of a total of 60 different scoring elements. The unique scoring system that we developed enables us to transform subjective or qualitative elements such as wellbeing and reputation, into a quantitative score that we use for our schools rankings.

The five building blocks and their weights

Each school is scored 0 to 20 on 15 factors, three per building block. A building block's raw score out of 60 becomes a percentage, and the whole-school S360 score is the weighted sum of the five building block percentages, weighted by how much each shapes a child's outcome:

The tier ladder

Every school's whole-school score, each building block and each factor is banded against the same five thresholds. Every band name is positive; there is no failing grade.

Schools360 applies the principles and methods of strategic analysis and corporate benchmarking to Australia's private education sector.

We've spent hundreds of hours analysing thousands of pages of data to rank Australia's best private schools

At Schools360, we perform rigorous, in-depth analysis on each school. Our analysis is enhanced by artificial intelligence. We leverage a diverse range of trusted data sources including schools, government, industry bodies, news and media outlets, and other open-source data providers.

Below are some examples of the data sources we use, and the analysis we perform:

• School websites to understand the curriculum and co-curricular offerings, campus facilities, wellbeing programs etc.
• School's Strategic Plans to understand their strategic objectives and future direction
• Principal's Letter's and other public statements from the schools to analyse key trends and priorities
• Annual Reports/Financial Reports to analyse school's operational performance and financial sustainability
• ATAR scores and HSC/VCE (or equivalent) results for final year academic performance and post-school outcomes
• ACRA's MySchool website for standardised test results (NAPLAN) and other school data including teacher:student ratios
• Sports performance data and sporting events/competition results (e.g. Girls' Sports Victoria)
• Glassdoor and Seek workplace reviews to understand teacher satisfaction, staff turnover rate, and teacher's pay levels
• Sentiment analysis of social media reviews from students, parents, and the broader community
• News/media reports to keep up to date on achievements and progress, as well as any governance or cultural issues
• LinkedIn data to analyse educational and professional pathways of school alumni

We've performed this rigorous analysis on 100+ private schools in Melbourne and Sydney, and we're in the process of analysing ~500 schools across Australia. This thorough analysis ensures that parents have a complete, data-informed understanding of each school's performance, allowing them to make the best educational decisions that align with their child's unique needs and aspirations.

Data sources by building block

Explore our School Rankings >