As Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) results for 2025 are released, students, families and schools across the state are closely examining how ATAR outcomes compare year on year. With continued transparency around ATAR distributions and school-reported performance data, the 2025 results provide valuable insight into academic excellence, consistency, and top-end achievement across Queensland schools.
💡For families seeking a clearer understanding of senior secondary outcomes in Queensland, it’s important to first understand how the QCE system works and how subject performance translates into ATAR eligibility.
QCE 2025 Overview
Statewide ATAR Highlights
The 2025 QCE cohort continued to demonstrate strong academic outcomes, particularly at the top end of the ATAR distribution. Schools across both metropolitan and regional Queensland reported high concentrations of students achieving ATARs of 90+ and above, reinforcing Queensland’s reputation for producing high-performing graduates across diverse school settings.
While ATAR participation rates and disclosure levels vary between schools, the data suggests a stable and competitive academic environment, with many schools maintaining or improving their performance compared to previous years.
💡To interpret these results accurately, students and families should also be familiar with how ATARs are calculated and used when comparing academic outcomes across schools and cohorts.
Subject Achievement Data
High ATAR outcomes in 2025 were underpinned by strong subject performance across mathematics, sciences, humanities, and languages, with schools demonstrating depth rather than reliance on a narrow set of high-scaling subjects. This reflects sustained curriculum strength, experienced teaching staff, and structured academic support throughout senior schooling.
💡This pattern aligns with findings from recent examiner reports, including insights into strong subject-level performance across core QCE subjects such as Mathematical Methods.
Top-End ATAR Achievement
Top-end achievement remained a defining feature of the 2025 results:
- Several schools reported 20–30% or more of students achieving ATARs of 99+
- A significant proportion of students achieved ATARs of 95+ and 90+, particularly within academically selective and high-performing independent schools
- Median ATARs above 94–96 were recorded by multiple schools, highlighting exceptional cohort-wide performance rather than isolated high achievers
How Are ATAR Results Used to Rank Queensland Schools?
School rankings in Queensland are typically based on self-reported ATAR statistics, including:
- Median ATAR
- Percentage of students achieving ATAR thresholds (99+, 95+, 90+, 80+)
- Disclosure rates of ATAR-eligible students
It’s important to note that higher median ATARs indicate strong overall cohort performance, while high percentages of 99+ or 95+ results highlight top-end academic excellence. Rankings should therefore be interpreted as indicators of academic outcomes, rather than definitive measures of school quality.
For additional context, families may also find it helpful to compare these outcomes with QCE school performance in 2024 to better understand year-on-year consistency and movement within the rankings.
Top 10 Performing Schools in the 2025 QCE by Median ATAR
Note: “—” indicates data not publicly disclosed by the school.
Top 10 School Analysis
- Brisbane Girls Grammar School retained its leadership position with the highest median ATAR and exceptional depth across all ATAR bands.
- Whitsunday Anglican School stood out for top-end performance, recording the highest percentage of ATAR 99+ results among the top 10.
- Brisbane Grammar School continued its long-standing academic strength, particularly in ATAR 95+ and 90+ outcomes.
- St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School combined strong median results with one of the highest proportions of ATAR 90+ achievers.
- All Hallows’ School maintained consistent performance across cohorts, reflecting sustained academic culture.
- Matthew Flinders Anglican College demonstrated balanced achievement across high and mid ATAR bands.
- Canterbury College achieved a strong median despite lower disclosed top-end percentages, suggesting broad cohort consistency.
- John Paul College remained competitive with solid ATAR 90+ and 95+ outcomes.
- Townsville Grammar School continued to perform strongly outside Brisbane, reinforcing regional excellence.
- St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace rounded out the top 10 with reliable high-band outcomes and cohort depth.
High-Performing QCE Schools Outside the Top 10 (Based on Median ATAR)
How Did 2025 QCE Results Compare to 2024?
Overall, 2025 QCE outcomes closely mirrored 2024, with stability at the top and minor reshuffling within the top 10. Leading Brisbane independent schools maintained dominance, while regional and non-government schools continued to close the gap through strong median ATAR performance. The persistence of high ATAR 90+ and 95+ proportions suggests consistent statewide academic standards rather than short-term volatility.
💡This stability reflects consistent academic standards across Queensland, supported by clearly defined key milestones for QCE students throughout the senior years.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 QCE results reinforce that Queensland’s highest-performing schools succeed through depth, consistency, and whole-cohort strength, not just elite outliers. While top-end ATARs attract headlines, median ATAR remains one of the most reliable indicators of sustained academic performance — especially for families evaluating long-term school outcomes.
