St Andrew's Cathedral School
🇦🇺 Sydney · Founded 1885 · IB / National · Ages 5–18
A co-educational Anglican K–12 day school in the heart of Sydney's CBD that offers genuine curriculum choice at senior level — students choose between the NSW HSC and the full IB Diploma Programme — with the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) framing Years 7–10. That dual HSC/IBDP senior pathway, plus an MYP middle school, fits internationally-mobile families who want an IB-recognised credential without leaving a high-performing Australian school. It is a day-only, vertical city campus — no boarding.
Curricula
IB, National
Age range
5–18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD AUD 26,699–48,137/year (2026, domestic); overseas higher
Boarding
No (day school)
IB authorised
MYP, DP
Accreditations
NESA, CRICOS, IB World School
Tier Profile
We only tier dimensions backed by a public inspection verdict or verifiable accreditation. Other dimensions show a data flag — never a guessed score.
BrightKey's Assessment
Founded in 1885 to educate the cathedral's choristers, St Andrew's Cathedral School (SACS) is one of Australia's oldest schools. It sits on Gadigal Country at Sydney Square, directly behind St Andrew's Cathedral, in the St Andrew's House home it has occupied since 1976. It became fully co-educational in 2008 after admitting senior girls in 1999.
Academically, the school is organised as Junior School (K–6), Middle School (Years 7–9) and Senior College (Years 10–12). In Years 7–10 the NSW NESA syllabus is delivered through the IB Middle Years Programme framework. At senior level students choose between the HSC and the IB Diploma — typically around two-thirds HSC and one-third IBDP, with the IBDP introduced in 2009.
The school is distinctive for Gawura, an award-winning First Nations 'school within a school' (K–6) for urban Indigenous children, established in 2007 and named 2020 Australian School of the Year. It maintains a First Nations K–12 Strategic Plan and dedicated scholarships, signalling an unusually deep Indigenous-education commitment for an inner-city independent.
As a CBD vertical school (CRICOS 02276M, registered for overseas students), it offers a 'pre-tertiary' senior environment and an extensive co-curricular program leaning into music and the performing arts — in 2025 sixteen HSC subjects, many of them languages and music, placed 100% of students in the top two bands. Total annual fees in 2026 run from roughly AUD 26.7k (Kindergarten) to AUD 48.1k (Year 10) for domestic families, with overseas fees materially higher. Australia has no graded national inspectorate, so the tier reflects accreditation + curriculum depth — capped at A.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
NESA state registration plus CRICOS registration and two IB programmes (MYP and DP) alongside the HSC, with consistently strong school-reported senior results. Australia has no graded national inspectorate, so the tier reflects accreditation + curriculum depth — A.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- 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
- Prime CBD location, registered for overseas students (CRICOS), purpose-built vertical campus
Trade-offs
- 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
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓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
Not Ideal For
- ✕Families needing boarding
- ✕Families wanting a large outdoor/suburban campus with extensive playing fields
- ✕Families seeking continuous IB from early years (no PYP/preschool)
- ✕Highly fee-sensitive families, especially overseas applicants facing bond + premium tuition
Curriculum
Years 7–10 follow the NSW NESA syllabus through the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) framework; Years 11–12 students choose the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) or the NSW HSC. No PYP (Junior School is not an IB programme). IB at SACS is MYP + DP.
Fees
2026 total annual fees (tuition + levies) range from AUD 26,699 (Kindergarten) to AUD 48,137 (Year 10) for Australian residents, and AUD 35,628–67,578 for overseas students. IBDP students pay an additional IB surcharge (AUD 310/term for domestic Years 11–12); overseas students also pay a AUD 10,000 bond and a per-student NESA charge.
Admissions
Entry points span Kindergarten through Year 12; AUD 400 (domestic)/AUD 450 (overseas) non-refundable application fee and a AUD 4,000/family confirmation fee apply. Overseas students require an additional AUD 10,000 bond. Specific selection criteria are not publicly published.
Campus Life
A vertical CBD campus at Sydney Square behind St Andrew's Cathedral, described by the school as a 'pre-tertiary environment' for senior students, with an extensive co-curricular program and notable strength in music and performing arts. Includes the Gawura First Nations primary unit.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently 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.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- St Andrew's Cathedral School — official site · 2026-06
- SACS — Senior (HSC/IBDP choice) · 2026-06
- SACS — What our students learn (MYP/IBDP/HSC) · 2026-06
- SACS — Class of 2025 results · 2026-06
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