Newington College vs Redlands
🇦🇺 Sydney · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Newington College nor Redlands 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. Both run the same curriculum (IB, National), so the differences come down to pathway detail, campus culture, and specific language/boarding arrangements rather than the curriculum framework itself. One practical difference: Newington College offers boarding while the other is day-only — decisive for families who need a residential option. Verify current fees against each school's own figures (see the table below).
Key Facts
| Newington College | Redlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / National | IB / National |
| Ages | 3–18 | 3–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | AUD 27,819–48,141/year (2026, day); boarding +AUD 38,394 | AUD 28,800–47,100/year (2026, domestic); IB elective +AUD 2,950/year |
| Enrollment | 2,029 | — |
| Boarding | Yes | Day only |
| Accreditations | NESA, CRICOS, IB World School, Cambridge International, AHISA, AAGPS | NESA, CRICOS, IB World School, Round Square |
Strengths
- ✓Genuine dual senior pathway: HSC and IB Diploma, plus Cambridge accreditation — rare flexibility for mobile families
- ✓Strong school-reported 2025 results on both tracks (IB median 40/45; HSC 68% top-two-band, 3 first-in-state)
- ✓IB World School since 2007 — an established DP track record, not a recent bolt-on
- ✓Boarding available, supporting interstate, regional and international enrolment
- ✓Founding AAGPS member with deep co-curricular, sporting and rowing infrastructure across multiple campuses
- ✓Genuine dual senior pathway — students can choose the full IB Diploma or the HSC, a real choice rather than a token offering
- ✓Longest continuous IB provider in NSW (since 1988), signalling depth of institutional IB expertise
- ✓Co-educational K–12 continuity on a single Lower North Shore campus from Preschool to Year 12
- ✓Strong school-reported senior outcomes (top IB ATAR 99.95; 247 top-band results in 2025)
- ✓Distinctive experiential program — Round Square membership, the 9-week Year 9 Moonbah residential, and Year 10 Arnhem Land immersion
Trade-offs
- !Co-education is partial and phased to 2033 — year-group gender mix is uncertain for several years
- !IB authorization is DP only; no public evidence of PYP/MYP, so younger years are not IB-continuum
- !Fees are high (secondary ~AUD 44k–48k in 2026; boarding adds ~AUD 38k) and rise with year level
- !No graded external inspection exists in Australia — quality signals rely on school-reported results
- !Exact IB cohort size and pass rate are not published, limiting full transparency on the IB track
- !Day school only — no boarding, so families relocating without a resident parent cannot easily place a child here
- !High fees (≈AUD 47,100/yr senior years) plus extras; the IB pathway carries a further AUD 2,950/yr surcharge
- !Total enrolment is not published on the school site, limiting transparency on school size
- !Publishes HSC and IB results combined and discloses no standalone IB Diploma average points score
- !IB is confined to the Diploma (Years 11–12) — no PYP or MYP, so the IB experience doesn't run through the junior/middle years
Best Fit For
- • Internationally-mobile / expat families wanting a globally portable IB Diploma with a local HSC fallback
- • Boarding families (interstate, regional NSW, or overseas)
- • Academically ambitious students seeking a competitive, results-driven GPS environment
- • Families wanting K–12 continuity from early learning onward
- • Internationally-mobile families wanting a globally portable IB Diploma without leaving the mainstream Sydney system
- • Families who value being able to switch between IB and HSC depending on the child
- • Parents seeking co-ed K–12 continuity on one campus on Sydney's Lower North Shore
- • Students drawn to experiential and global-citizenship programs (Round Square, residential immersions)
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: 2025 IB median 40/45 (≈97 ATAR equiv.) and HSC results with 3 first-in-state and 108 Distinguished Achievers suggest strong university placement, but Newington does not publish a destinations list — treat university-outcome claims as unverified.
School-reported, unverified: Class of 2025 top IB ATAR 99.95 and top HSC ATAR 99.40; 247 HSC/IB top-band results and 22 students at ATAR 98+ across 158 Year 12 candidates. The school does not publish a standalone IB Diploma average points score.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Newington College or Redlands?
Newington College is best for: Internationally-mobile / expat families wanting a globally portable IB Diploma with a local HSC fallback. Redlands is best for: Internationally-mobile families wanting a globally portable IB Diploma without leaving the mainstream Sydney system. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Newington College and Redlands?
Newington College: AUD 27,819–48,141/year (2026, day); boarding +AUD 38,394. Redlands: AUD 28,800–47,100/year (2026, domestic); IB elective +AUD 2,950/year. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Newington College and Redlands offer?
Newington College: IB, National. Redlands: IB, National.
Do Newington College or Redlands offer boarding?
Newington College: offers boarding. Redlands: day school only.
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 →