Reddam House vs St Andrew's Cathedral School
🇦🇺 Sydney · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Reddam House 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. Both are day schools with fees in the same market band — see the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| Reddam House | St Andrew's Cathedral School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | National | IB / National |
| Ages | 1–18 | 5–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | AUD 30,840–49,315 (domestic, 2026; overseas higher) | AUD 26,699–48,137/year (2026, domestic); overseas higher |
| Enrollment | 1,102 | — |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | NESA | NESA, CRICOS, IB World School |
Strengths
- ✓Exceptional HSC results for a non-selective school — repeated NSW top-10 (and reported top-5) finishes
- ✓Co-educational and fully secular/non-denominational — rigour without religious affiliation or single-sex structure
- ✓Full continuity — Early Learning (age 1) through Year 12 on linked Eastern Suburbs campuses
- ✓Modern, non-traditional ethos — contemporary pedagogy versus heritage-school conservatism
- ✓Global network access via Inspired (including premium boarding schools worldwide)
- ✓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
- !For-profit ownership (Inspired Education Group since 2019) — commercial operator priorities differ from not-for-profit/trust-governed peers; reportedly forgoes government funding
- !Younger institution (founded 2000/2001) — lacks the alumni network, endowment and heritage of century-old Sydney independents
- !High fees with a steep overseas-student premium (2026 senior fees ~AUD 49,315 domestic rising to ~AUD 58,080 for overseas students)
- !No on-site boarding — relies on the Inspired network for boarding access
- !Strong HSC reputation is largely school- and media-reported; tertiary-destination claims are not independently published
- !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
- • Expat / internationally mobile families wanting a co-ed, secular, academically strong HSC pathway
- • Families prioritising HSC performance without academic-selection entry barriers
- • Households in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs seeking a single school from early years to Year 12
- • Families who value a modern, less traditional school culture
- • 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 and media-cited, unverified: 'Top 10 for HSC results in NSW for the last 5 consecutive years' (official); media records NSW top-10 across multiple years and top-5 in 2022–2024 — described as the only non-selective school to reach top-10 in those years. Independent aggregators were unreachable, so exact success-rate figures are not re-verified.
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Reddam House or St Andrew's Cathedral School?
Reddam House is best for: Expat / internationally mobile families wanting a co-ed, secular, academically strong HSC pathway. 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 Reddam House and St Andrew's Cathedral School?
Reddam House: AUD 30,840–49,315 (domestic, 2026; overseas higher). 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 Reddam House and St Andrew's Cathedral School offer?
Reddam House: National. St Andrew's Cathedral School: IB, National.
Do Reddam House or St Andrew's Cathedral School offer boarding?
Reddam House: day school only. St Andrew's Cathedral School: 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 →