International Grammar School vs St Andrew's Cathedral School
🇦🇺 Sydney · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Which should you choose?
Both run National, so the difference is inspection rating, boarding, and fees rather than the curriculum itself. The choice comes down to target curriculum, whether you need boarding, and budget — verify fees against each school's own figures.
Neither International Grammar School nor St Andrew's Cathedral School sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating.
Key Facts
| International Grammar School | St Andrew's Cathedral School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | National | IB / National |
| Ages | 3–18 | 5–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | not public | AUD 26,699–48,137/year (2026, domestic); overseas higher |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | NESA, AHISA, AIS NSW | NESA, CRICOS, IB World School |
Strengths
- ✓Compulsory second language from Preschool with partial-immersion bilingual delivery to Year 6 — rare depth for an Australian day school
- ✓Five second-language options plus a compulsory third language from Year 7; languages continuable to HSC level
- ✓Strong, publicly published HSC outcomes (top ATAR 98.75; ~30% of cohort ATAR ≥90 in 2024) including First-in-State language results
- ✓Secular and co-educational — a deliberate non-denominational alternative
- ✓Inner-city Ultimo location moments from Sydney CBD; Preschool–Year 12 continuity
- ✓Genuine dual senior pathway — students pick the IB Diploma or HSC, rare and valuable for mobile families
- ✓IB MYP framework across Years 7–10, giving an internationally-coherent middle-school spine
- ✓Strong school-reported 2025 outcomes (IBDP median 37.5; 42% of cohort ATAR >90)
- ✓Exceptional languages and music depth (16 HSC subjects at 100% top-two-band in 2025)
- ✓Distinctive Gawura First Nations school and a stated K–12 First Nations strategy
Trade-offs
- !Does NOT offer the IB Diploma despite the 'International' name — senior pathway is HSC only (verified across the official site)
- !No current public enrolment figure verifiable (most recent data is ~1,100–1,200 from 2007 via Wikipedia)
- !Published fees not extractable — only downloadable 2026 PDF schedules; overseas-student fees 'available upon request'
- !EAL/EALD support not stated on public pages (cannot confirm)
- !Inner-city site implies limited green/sporting space versus suburban grammar schools
- !No boarding — non-Sydney or overseas families must arrange their own accommodation
- !Total enrolment and class-size data are not publicly published, reducing independent transparency
- !Vertical CBD campus means limited on-site green/playing-field space versus suburban peers
- !IB Diploma carries an extra fee surcharge on top of already-high city tuition; overseas fees plus a AUD 10,000 bond are steep
- !No early-years/preschool and no PYP — entry starts at Kindergarten, so no IB continuum for younger children
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting genuine early multilingualism (a second language from Preschool)
- • Secular, co-ed seekers wanting a non-denominational alternative
- • CBD-proximate inner-Sydney families
- • HSC-pathway students wanting strong language outcomes
- • Expat / internationally-mobile families wanting an IB Diploma option inside a top Australian school
- • Families living or working in central Sydney who value a CBD campus
- • Musically or linguistically gifted students
- • Families seeking an Anglican, values-based co-educational environment
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: 2024 HSC top ATAR 98.75; ~11.6% ≥95, ~29.4% ≥90; 66 Distinguished Achievers; First-in-State in Spanish Extension and German Beginners.
School-reported, unverified: Class of 2025 — 42% of the combined HSC/IBDP cohort achieved an ATAR over 90; IBDP median score 37.5 (top-10% average ATAR 99.17); HSC median ATAR 84 (top-10% average 97.8). Figures are school-published, not independently verified.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose International Grammar School or St Andrew's Cathedral School?
International Grammar School is best for: Families wanting genuine early multilingualism (a second language from Preschool). St Andrew's Cathedral School is best for: Expat / internationally-mobile families wanting an IB Diploma option inside a top Australian school. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between International Grammar School and St Andrew's Cathedral School?
International Grammar School: not public. St Andrew's Cathedral School: AUD 26,699–48,137/year (2026, domestic); overseas higher. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do International Grammar School and St Andrew's Cathedral School offer?
International Grammar School: National. St Andrew's Cathedral School: IB, National.
Do International Grammar School or St Andrew's Cathedral School offer boarding?
International Grammar School: day school only. St Andrew's Cathedral School: day school only.
Questions parents ask
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →