WACE · Western Australia · Most-recent published cohort
WACE ATAR results — top Western Australia private schools
Median ATAR + % top 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% for 10 Western Australia private schools. Real numbers from Better Education + SCSA. Western Australian Certificate of Education.
Key takeaways
- Top Western Australia school: Christ Church Grammar School (Claremont) — 13% of cohort with ATAR 99+.
- 10 Western Australia private schools have published WACE ATAR data in the most-recent cohort released by Better Education.
- Western Australia's private sector is concentrated in Perth, with strong showings from PSA boys schools (Christ Church Grammar, Hale, Wesley, Scotch College Perth) and IGSSA girls schools (St Hilda's, MLC, Penrhos, St Mary's).
- Cross-state comparison via ATAR is valid: ATAR is a national percentile rank (0–99.95), so a WACE ATAR of 95 represents the same percentile position as a VCE/HSC ATAR of 95.
WACE leaderboard
Top 10 Western Australia private schools by WACE 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 | Christ Church Grammar School | Claremont | — | 13% | 39% | 57% |
| 2 | Trinity College Perth | East Perth | 86.13 | 6.48% | — | 43% |
| 3 | Methodist Ladies' College | Kew | — | 11% | 41% | 62% |
| 4 | Hale School | Wembley Downs | — | 9% | 30% | 47% |
| 5 | St Mary's Anglican Girls' School | Karrinyup | — | 8% | 24% | 43% |
| 6 | St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls | Mosman Park | — | — | 38% | 62% |
| 7 | Penrhos College | Como | — | — | 33% | 48.5% |
| 8 | Wesley College Perth | South Perth | — | — | 26.9% | 46.2% |
| 9 | All Saints' College | Bull Creek | — | — | — | 50% |
| 10 | Geraldton Grammar School | Geraldton | — | — | — | 50% |
Sorted by median ATAR
Western Australia schools ranked by median ATAR
Half the cohort sits above this figure, half below. The single most-cited measure of school cohort strength.
WACE explained
How WACE scaling works
Credential. Western Australian Certificate of Education, awarded by SCSA — School Curriculum and Standards Authority at completion of Year 12.
Score system. ATAR courses graded out of 100 (50% external WACE exam, 50% school-assessed). Combined mark scaled by TISC into the aggregate.
Scaling. TISC handles ATAR conversion. Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist, Chemistry, Physics, Latin and Asian languages tend to scale UP. Best 4 ATAR courses (or 5, with the 5th worth half) form the aggregate, including a 10% English language bonus where applicable.
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
WACE ATAR — common questions
What is a good WACE ATAR?
Above 90 = top 10% nationally — competitive for UWA Engineering, Commerce, Health. Above 95 = top 5% with strong Medicine prospects at UWA (which uses ATAR alongside UCAT + interview).
What is the WACE 10% English bonus?
Students who score 50+ in an ATAR English course receive a 10% scaling bonus on the highest of their other 3 ATAR courses. This is a unique WA feature designed to reward broad academic performance.
Which Perth private school has the highest WACE results?
Among published rankings, St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, Christ Church Grammar, Hale School, Methodist Ladies' College Perth and Wesley College consistently feature. Public selective Perth Modern School (out of scope here) typically tops the absolute rankings.
How is WACE ATAR calculated?
TISC takes the best 4 ATAR courses (or 4 + a half-weighted 5th), scales each by state cohort, applies the 10% English bonus where eligible, and converts the aggregate to a national ATAR percentile.
Methodology
Data + sources
ATAR figures sourced from Better Education's WACE state rankings, which aggregate results published by each school + the SCSA 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.