Brisbane private schools
Brisbane's independent and Catholic schools have no catchment zones, so you can enrol from any suburb. What decides your daily life is the bus network, the river crossings and what a house costs nearby. Pick a school below and see the suburbs that genuinely work for it.
24 schools
Brisbane Grammar School
Spring Hill · Inner city · Boys · Years 5–12 · Boarding available
City campus; strong feeder buses from the inner north and west.
$1.50m – $2.50m
Indicative house medians
$820 – $1150
Per week, houses
Windsor
About 14 min each way
Morning run under 25 min
New FarmInner East & Riverside~11 min$2.50m$1150/wk+
Walkable, riverside, apartment-strong.
Lifestyle & amenities. Oxford Street and Merthyr Village for daily life, New Farm Park and the Powerhouse for weekends, and a ferry commute that most people describe as the nicest twenty minutes of their day.
Getting around. Fifteen minutes to the CBD by ferry or bus. Cross-river school runs use the Story Bridge or Kangaroo Point, which is worth timing at 7.45am before you commit.
Housing. A mix of restored Queenslanders, 1930s brick and a lot of quality apartments. Bulimba and Hawthorne suit families who want a yard; New Farm and Newstead suit downsizers and those who would rather walk than mow.
Watch for. Parts of Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newstead and New Farm have flood history. Always ask for the flood overlay and the 2022 record.
Read the Inner East & Riverside guideNewsteadInner East & Riverside~11 min$1.60m$950/wk+
New apartments, breweries, no lawn to mow.
Lifestyle & amenities. Oxford Street and Merthyr Village for daily life, New Farm Park and the Powerhouse for weekends, and a ferry commute that most people describe as the nicest twenty minutes of their day.
Getting around. Fifteen minutes to the CBD by ferry or bus. Cross-river school runs use the Story Bridge or Kangaroo Point, which is worth timing at 7.45am before you commit.
Housing. A mix of restored Queenslanders, 1930s brick and a lot of quality apartments. Bulimba and Hawthorne suit families who want a yard; New Farm and Newstead suit downsizers and those who would rather walk than mow.
Watch for. Parts of Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newstead and New Farm have flood history. Always ask for the flood overlay and the 2022 record.
Read the Inner East & Riverside guideBulimbaInner East & Riverside~13 min$2.05m$1000/wk+
Oxford Street, ferry, family Queenslanders.
Lifestyle & amenities. Oxford Street and Merthyr Village for daily life, New Farm Park and the Powerhouse for weekends, and a ferry commute that most people describe as the nicest twenty minutes of their day.
Getting around. Fifteen minutes to the CBD by ferry or bus. Cross-river school runs use the Story Bridge or Kangaroo Point, which is worth timing at 7.45am before you commit.
Housing. A mix of restored Queenslanders, 1930s brick and a lot of quality apartments. Bulimba and Hawthorne suit families who want a yard; New Farm and Newstead suit downsizers and those who would rather walk than mow.
Watch for. Parts of Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newstead and New Farm have flood history. Always ask for the flood overlay and the 2022 record.
Read the Inner East & Riverside guideHawthorneInner East & Riverside~13 min$2.10m$1000/wk+
Quiet riverside streets, short run to Churchie.
Lifestyle & amenities. Oxford Street and Merthyr Village for daily life, New Farm Park and the Powerhouse for weekends, and a ferry commute that most people describe as the nicest twenty minutes of their day.
Getting around. Fifteen minutes to the CBD by ferry or bus. Cross-river school runs use the Story Bridge or Kangaroo Point, which is worth timing at 7.45am before you commit.
Housing. A mix of restored Queenslanders, 1930s brick and a lot of quality apartments. Bulimba and Hawthorne suit families who want a yard; New Farm and Newstead suit downsizers and those who would rather walk than mow.
Watch for. Parts of Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newstead and New Farm have flood history. Always ask for the flood overlay and the 2022 record.
Read the Inner East & Riverside guideAshgroveInner North~14 min$1.75m$880/wk+
Classic Ashgrovian homes and a deep school bus network.
Lifestyle & amenities. Leafy, quiet and settled. Racecourse Road and Portside handle the dining, Oxford Street Bulimba is a short drive across the Story Bridge, and the airport is fifteen minutes away — which matters if one parent still flies south for work.
Getting around. Ten to twenty minutes to the CBD by train from Clayfield, Wilston or Windsor. Airport-bound traffic on Kingsford Smith Drive is the main morning pinch point.
Housing. Colonials and Queenslanders on 400–800sqm, with a strong renovation culture. Ascot and Hamilton are the premium end; Windsor, Wilston and parts of Ashgrove are the more attainable entry points into the same school catchments.
Watch for. Aircraft noise varies street to street in Ascot, Hamilton and Clayfield — check the flight path before you fall in love with a house.
Read the Inner North guideWilstonInner North~14 min$1.85m$900/wk+
Village feel, train station, walk to Grammar buses.
Lifestyle & amenities. Leafy, quiet and settled. Racecourse Road and Portside handle the dining, Oxford Street Bulimba is a short drive across the Story Bridge, and the airport is fifteen minutes away — which matters if one parent still flies south for work.
Getting around. Ten to twenty minutes to the CBD by train from Clayfield, Wilston or Windsor. Airport-bound traffic on Kingsford Smith Drive is the main morning pinch point.
Housing. Colonials and Queenslanders on 400–800sqm, with a strong renovation culture. Ascot and Hamilton are the premium end; Windsor, Wilston and parts of Ashgrove are the more attainable entry points into the same school catchments.
Watch for. Aircraft noise varies street to street in Ascot, Hamilton and Clayfield — check the flight path before you fall in love with a house.
Read the Inner North guideWindsorInner North~14 min$1.50m$820/wk+
The value entry into the northern school belt.
Lifestyle & amenities. Leafy, quiet and settled. Racecourse Road and Portside handle the dining, Oxford Street Bulimba is a short drive across the Story Bridge, and the airport is fifteen minutes away — which matters if one parent still flies south for work.
Getting around. Ten to twenty minutes to the CBD by train from Clayfield, Wilston or Windsor. Airport-bound traffic on Kingsford Smith Drive is the main morning pinch point.
Housing. Colonials and Queenslanders on 400–800sqm, with a strong renovation culture. Ascot and Hamilton are the premium end; Windsor, Wilston and parts of Ashgrove are the more attainable entry points into the same school catchments.
Watch for. Aircraft noise varies street to street in Ascot, Hamilton and Clayfield — check the flight path before you fall in love with a house.
Read the Inner North guideBalmoralInner East & Riverside~15 min$1.80m$900/wk+
Elevated pockets with city glimpses.
Lifestyle & amenities. Oxford Street and Merthyr Village for daily life, New Farm Park and the Powerhouse for weekends, and a ferry commute that most people describe as the nicest twenty minutes of their day.
Getting around. Fifteen minutes to the CBD by ferry or bus. Cross-river school runs use the Story Bridge or Kangaroo Point, which is worth timing at 7.45am before you commit.
Housing. A mix of restored Queenslanders, 1930s brick and a lot of quality apartments. Bulimba and Hawthorne suit families who want a yard; New Farm and Newstead suit downsizers and those who would rather walk than mow.
Watch for. Parts of Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newstead and New Farm have flood history. Always ask for the flood overlay and the 2022 record.
Read the Inner East & Riverside guideHamiltonInner North~16 min$2.40m$1100/wk+
River views, Portside dining, quick airport access.
Lifestyle & amenities. Leafy, quiet and settled. Racecourse Road and Portside handle the dining, Oxford Street Bulimba is a short drive across the Story Bridge, and the airport is fifteen minutes away — which matters if one parent still flies south for work.
Getting around. Ten to twenty minutes to the CBD by train from Clayfield, Wilston or Windsor. Airport-bound traffic on Kingsford Smith Drive is the main morning pinch point.
Housing. Colonials and Queenslanders on 400–800sqm, with a strong renovation culture. Ascot and Hamilton are the premium end; Windsor, Wilston and parts of Ashgrove are the more attainable entry points into the same school catchments.
Watch for. Aircraft noise varies street to street in Ascot, Hamilton and Clayfield — check the flight path before you fall in love with a house.
Read the Inner North guideNorman ParkInner East & Riverside~16 min$1.65m$870/wk+
Hilly, handy, cheaper than its neighbours.
Lifestyle & amenities. Oxford Street and Merthyr Village for daily life, New Farm Park and the Powerhouse for weekends, and a ferry commute that most people describe as the nicest twenty minutes of their day.
Getting around. Fifteen minutes to the CBD by ferry or bus. Cross-river school runs use the Story Bridge or Kangaroo Point, which is worth timing at 7.45am before you commit.
Housing. A mix of restored Queenslanders, 1930s brick and a lot of quality apartments. Bulimba and Hawthorne suit families who want a yard; New Farm and Newstead suit downsizers and those who would rather walk than mow.
Watch for. Parts of Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newstead and New Farm have flood history. Always ask for the flood overlay and the 2022 record.
Read the Inner East & Riverside guideTravel times are indicative door-to-gate estimates based on distance, not live traffic or bus timetables. House medians and rents are drafted guides for comparison, not valuation advice. Confirm year levels, transport routes and waiting lists with each school.
Considering more than one school?
The suburb finder takes a shortlist of several schools at once, along with your commute limit and your budget, and ranks the suburbs that work for all of them.
Open the suburb finderWe don't publish school fees here — they change yearly and vary widely by year level, with levies, capital contributions, uniforms and camps on top. Always request the current fee schedule directly from each school.