SACE · South Australia · Most-recent published cohort
SACE ATAR results — top South Australia private schools
Median ATAR + % top 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% for 4 South Australia private schools. Real numbers from Better Education + SACE Board of South Australia. South Australian Certificate of Education.
Key takeaways
- Top South Australia school: Wilderness School (Medindie) — median ATAR 96.7.
- 4 South Australia private schools have published SACE ATAR data in the most-recent cohort released by Better Education.
- South Australia has a smaller private school cohort. Adelaide-based schools like Prince Alfred College, Pulteney Grammar, Walford and Wilderness consistently appear in state ATAR rankings.
- Cross-state comparison via ATAR is valid: ATAR is a national percentile rank (0–99.95), so a SACE ATAR of 95 represents the same percentile position as a VCE/HSC ATAR of 95.
SACE leaderboard
Top 4 South Australia private schools by SACE 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 | Wilderness School | Medindie | 96.70 | 21% | 65% | 80% |
| 2 | Pulteney Grammar School | Adelaide CBD | 89.20 | 6% | 26% | 46% |
| 3 | Prince Alfred College | Kent Town | 88.80 | 4.67% | 28% | 44.67% |
| 4 | Walford Anglican School for Girls | Hyde Park | — | 12% | 32% | 51% |
Sorted by median ATAR
South Australia schools ranked by median ATAR
Half the cohort sits above this figure, half below. The single most-cited measure of school cohort strength.
SACE explained
How SACE scaling works
Credential. South Australian Certificate of Education, awarded by SACE Board of South Australia at completion of Year 12.
Score system. Stage 2 subjects graded A+ to E (converted to 0–20 numeric for ATAR purposes). 70 credits at Stage 2 required plus Research Project + Personal Learning Plan + Literacy + Numeracy.
Scaling. SATAC handles ATAR conversion. Methods, Specialist Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Latin and Languages tend to scale UP. Stage 2 subjects use a moderated 0–20 scale. Best 90 credits at Stage 2 contribute.
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
SACE ATAR — common questions
What is a good SACE ATAR?
Above 90 = top 10% nationally — competitive for University of Adelaide Health Sciences, Commerce, Engineering. Above 95 = top 5%, in the running for Medicine at Adelaide (which weights ATAR alongside UCAT + interview).
How does SACE scaling work?
SATAC scales each Stage 2 subject result against the state cohort. Maths and Science subjects with strong cohorts scale UP; vocational and softer humanities scale DOWN. Top 90 credits (typically 4-5 subjects + Research Project) contribute.
Why are there fewer SA schools in this list?
Adelaide's private school sector is smaller and Better Education publishes fewer SACE-tier rankings than for NSW/VIC/QLD. Schools that do publish results in detail are included; the absence of a school here is not evidence of poor performance.
What is the Research Project?
A compulsory 10-credit Stage 2 subject completed by all SACE students. Topic chosen by the student, scaled into the ATAR aggregate. Often the easiest way for a strong student to lift their aggregate.
Methodology
Data + sources
ATAR figures sourced from Better Education's SACE state rankings, which aggregate results published by each school + the SACE Board of South Australia 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.