About the school
Newcastle High School is a large, comprehensive high school situated in the centre of Newcastle, providing education for students in Years 7 to 12 across two sites. The Parkway Avenue site serves the majority of students, while the Cooks Hill Campus offers an alternative curriculum in partnership with Big Picture Education for students from Year 9 to Year 12. The school prides itself on its strong community ties and active past student associations, promoting a tradition of high academic achievement and innovative educational practices.
With an enrolment of 1,042 students, including 136 at the Cooks Hill Campus, Newcastle High School reflects the area's cultural diversity, with 6% of students identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 3% speaking English as an additional language. The school provides a broad curriculum to cater for varying student needs, aiming to ensure every student can achieve a credential that maximises their future opportunities.
A key feature of the school is its emphasis on personalised education, particularly at the Cooks Hill Campus, which fosters unique learning plans tailored to individual student interests. The school promotes tolerance and good citizenship within a caring and inclusive environment, with a focus on personal growth and community engagement. Newcastle High School also boasts a dedicated staff committed to enhancing learning outcomes, offering both academic and extra-curricular opportunities that extend into sports, creative and performing arts, and public speaking, reflecting the rich cultural fabric of inner-city Newcastle.
Mission
We help every student to learn, grow & succeed!
Location & Catchment Area
- Newcastle High School
Nearby or Connected Schools
- A Hamilton South Public School 497 m
- B The Junction Public School 922 m
- C Hamilton Public School 1.6 km
- D Merewether Public School 1.6 km
- E Newcastle East Public School 1.7 km
- F Merewether High School 2.2 km
- G Carrington Public School 2.2 km
- H Adamstown Public School 2.6 km
- I Merewether Heights Public School 2.6 km
- J Islington Public School 2.6 km
- K Tighes Hill Public School 2.7 km
- L Hamilton North Public School 2.8 km
Profile (2025)
- Total enrolments
- 1,072 (510 girls, 562 boys)
- Enrolments (FTE) What does this mean?
- 1,072
- ICSEA What does this mean?
- 1027 (percentile 59)
- SEA quarters What does this mean?
- 23% / 26% / 26% / 25%
- FOEI What does this mean?
- 74
- Indigenous students
- 13%
- LBOTE What does this mean?
- 14%
- Teaching staff (FTE) What does this mean?
- 94.7
- Non-teaching staff (FTE) What does this mean?
- 24.6
Enrolments by grade (2025)
| Grade | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Year 7 | 130 |
| Year 8 | 174 |
| Year 9 | 207 |
| Year 10 | 252 |
| Year 11 | 151 |
| Year 12 | 158 |
| Total | 1,072 |
Year by year
Attendance data for 2020 is unavailable — NSW schools were disrupted by COVID-19 and the Department of Education did not publish figures for that year.
| Year | Enrolments | Girls | Boys | Attendance % | ICSEA | Teaching staff (FTE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,072 | 510 | 562 | - | 1027 | 94.7 |
| 2024 | 1,128 | 542 | 586 | 78.7 | 1034 | 94.2 |
| 2023 | 1,172 | 582 | 590 | 80.5 | 1032 | 92.5 |
| 2022 | 1,202 | 589 | 613 | 78.8 | 1027 | 90.4 |
| 2021 | 1,227 | 602 | 625 | 84.1 | 1024 | 91.3 |
| 2020 | 1,210 | 579 | 631 | - | 1022 | 88.8 |
| 2019 | 1,157 | 552 | 605 | 84.3 | 1022 | 83.7 |
| 2018 | 1,079 | 533 | 546 | 84.9 | 1006 | 81.2 |
| 2017 | 1,079 | 549 | 530 | 86.4 | 1003 | 80.1 |
| 2016 | 1,011 | 529 | 482 | 87.2 | 998 | 76.4 |
| 2015 | 1,034 | 521 | 513 | 87.8 | 1003 | 76.9 |
| 2014 | 1,029 | 490 | 539 | 87.7 | 1004 | 79.1 |
| 2013 | 935 | 444 | 491 | 88.1 | 1004 | 69.6 |
| 2012 | 965 | 445 | 520 | 88.8 | 1014 | 71.7 |
| 2011 | 1,008 | 469 | 539 | 88.5 | 1010 | 72.2 |
| 2010 | 1,007 | 476 | 531 | - | 1010 | 71.6 |
| 2009 | 1,002 | 487 | 515 | - | 1030 | 70.7 |
| 2008 | 1,000 | 499 | 501 | - | 1030 | 69.6 |
Attendance data for 2020 is unavailable — NSW schools were disrupted by COVID-19 and the Department of Education did not publish figures for that year.