QCE · Queensland · Most-recent published cohort
QCE ATAR results — top Queensland private schools
Median ATAR + % top 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% for 7 Queensland private schools. Real numbers from Better Education + QCAA. Queensland Certificate of Education.
Key takeaways
- Top Queensland school: Brisbane Girls Grammar School (Spring Hill) — median ATAR 96.45.
- 7 Queensland private schools have published QCE ATAR data in the most-recent cohort released by Better Education.
- Queensland's private school sector is concentrated in Brisbane. The Grammar schools (Brisbane Grammar, Brisbane Girls Grammar) and Anglican Schools Commission and Catholic boys/girls schools dominate the upper end.
- Cross-state comparison via ATAR is valid: ATAR is a national percentile rank (0–99.95), so a QCE ATAR of 95 represents the same percentile position as a VCE/HSC ATAR of 95.
QCE leaderboard
Top 7 Queensland private schools by QCE performance
Ranked by median ATAR where available, otherwise by % of cohort with ATAR 99+. Some schools publish only a subset of metrics.
| # | School | Suburb | Median ATAR | % 99+ | % 95+ | % 90+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane Girls Grammar School | Spring Hill | 96.45 | 20.17% | 60.94% | 84.55% |
| 2 | Brisbane Grammar School | Spring Hill | 95 | 17% | 50% | 69% |
| 3 | St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School | Corinda | 94.95 | 10% | 50% | 68% |
| 4 | All Hallows' School | Fortitude Valley | 93.40 | 8% | 39% | 61% |
| 5 | St Margaret's Anglican Girls School | Ascot | 93.05 | 8.1% | 41.5% | 68.3% |
| 6 | Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) | East Brisbane | 90.85 | 13% | — | 55% |
| 7 | Stuartholme School | Toowong | — | — | — | — |
Sorted by median ATAR
Queensland schools ranked by median ATAR
Half the cohort sits above this figure, half below. The single most-cited measure of school cohort strength.
Brisbane Girls Grammar School
Spring Hill · girls · Independent (non-denominational)
Brisbane Grammar School
Spring Hill · boys · Independent (non-denominational)
St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School
Corinda · girls (co-ed Kindergarten) · Anglican
All Hallows' School
Fortitude Valley · girls · Catholic (Sisters of Mercy)
St Margaret's Anglican Girls School
Ascot · girls · Anglican
Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie)
East Brisbane · boys · Anglican
QCE explained
How QCE scaling works
Credential. Queensland Certificate of Education, awarded by QCAA — Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority at completion of Year 12.
Score system. Subjects scored on standards-based 0–100 scale, internally + externally assessed. ATAR derived from scaled subject results.
Scaling. Queensland switched to ATAR in 2020 (from OP). QTAC handles scaling. General Maths, Specialist Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Languages typically scale UP. The best 5 General/Applied subjects (or 4 + 1 Cert IV+) form the basis.
ATAR. A national percentile rank from 0–99.95 in 0.05 increments. Set by ACTAC/UAC/QTAC/SATAC/TISC depending on state. ATAR 95 = top 5% nationally regardless of credential.
Common questions
QCE ATAR — common questions
When did Queensland switch from OP to ATAR?
Year 12 students in 2020 were the first cohort to receive an ATAR instead of an OP. The OP was a 1–25 rank (1 highest); ATAR is a percentile 0–99.95 (highest).
What is a good QCE ATAR?
Above 90 puts a student in the top 10% nationally — competitive entry for UQ Health, Engineering, Commerce. Above 95 is in the running for Medicine at UQ (which combines ATAR with UCAT and interview).
Which Brisbane private school has the highest ATAR results?
Brisbane Girls Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School typically post the highest median ATAR among private schools, often with cohort medians above 95. St Aidan's Anglican Girls and St Margaret's Anglican Girls also feature consistently.
Does the QCE include vocational subjects?
Yes. A student can include up to 1 Certificate IV+ result in the ATAR calculation alongside 4 General subjects. Most ATAR-focused private schools recommend 5–6 General subjects, often with English + Maths required.
Methodology
Data + sources
ATAR figures sourced from Better Education's QCE state rankings, which aggregate results published by each school + the QCAA results notification.
Schools matched to our private school registry by city + name. Only confident matches included. The absence of a school here means either: (a) the school did not publish detailed cohort statistics; (b) the school's results sat outside Better Education's published top ~30 for the state; or (c) the school is public/selective and out of scope for a private-school directory.
Public selective schools (James Ruse, Sydney Boys, Melbourne High, Mac Robertson, Perth Modern) typically top absolute state rankings but are excluded from this directory.
Cohort year: most-recently published cohort (typically 2024 results released early 2025). Released under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Better Education for source figures.