Which schools suit what your child loves?

Review Bullying and getting to school safely

Bullying was not an issue at my school, as there was a strong focus on respect and inclusivity. I always felt safe getting to and from school, with minimal risks in the area. The school maintained a secure environment through supervision, clear rules, and a supportive community.

Review Something only students would know

One unique thing only students would know about my school is that there was an unspoken rule about the best spots to hang out during breaks. Whether it was a hidden corner of the library, a specific bench with the best breeze, or a quiet hallway, everyone had their favorite spot

Review School culture

BSHS had a mix of both traditional and modern elements. The culture was competitive and achievement-focused, especially in academics and sport, but also supportive if you were willing to engage. It had fairly strict rules around uniform and behaviour, but the overall environment felt modern, diverse,… Read all

BSHS had a mix of both traditional and modern elements. The culture was competitive and achievement-focused, especially in academics and sport, but also supportive if you were willing to engage. It had fairly strict rules around uniform and behaviour, but the overall environment felt modern, diverse, and energetic. There was a strong school pride, and students were encouraged to aim high.

Review Would you recommend it?

QASMT is a school where the experience greatly depends on your character. It is fast-paced, competitive and highly academic-focused. If you thrive in these environments and are disciplined and self-motivated, I would highly recommend QA to you. Not only are you surrounded by like-minded students whose focus is all on achieving good grades, which in turn motivates you to work harder, but the school provides an abundance of academic-based opportunities such as clubs and events to increase your knowledge. On the other hand, if you tend to procrastinate or are not very disciplined, QASMT will likely be more harmful than good. It is incredibly easy to fall behind on studies due to the difficult nature of the IB program, and I, along with many others, were burnt out and sleep-deprived, particularly in the senior years. The IB program demands much more than the ATAR system- we have to write an extended essay, do philosophy (TOK) and undergo the CAS (creativity, activity, service) program on top of the six regular subjects. Additionally, the subjects offered at QA are much more restricting than other schools. Ultimately, whether I recommend QASMT depends on the person. If you work well under high pressure and can stay on top of your studies, then I would recommend it as it provides an environment where you can shine. On the other hand, it is incredibly demanding and stressful, so if you struggle with procrastination or do not care much for academics, then QASMT is not for you (and that's okay!).

Review Inclusion and bullying

QASMT is very diverse with students from multiple backgrounds. Many cultural events were also held, including Harmony Week, where students are encouraged to wear their cultural dress and participate in related activities. Bullying, from what I could tell, wasn't a significant issue. In a school where academics is the priority, there's a stereotypical correlation between high-achieving students and good behaviour. This is supported by the fact that I never witnessed any bullying, but it should be noted that bullying is pretty much an inevitable issue, albeit less prominent at QA.

Review School culture

The school culture is probably the most strict and competitive out of all schools in Queensland. All students that enter have entered via selective entry, and as a result there is a huge emphasise on academic achievement. The school also promotes competitive by having yearly academic rewards and ranking systems, which can get really toxic as most students are competing for the gold/honours. This also meant that students would judge each other based on GPA and grades a lot. It is also very easy to make friends, as everyone is generally really open and supportive.

Review School culture

As mentioned previously, QASMT is highly competitive and academics-focused. Students strive for good grades, and this culture is supported by the school itself in the way that award ceremonies are constantly held and students are praised for their achievements. QASMT prides itself in this, additionally expecting students to maintain a high standard of dress and behaviour both in and out of the school with strict rules. Because of this, most students had the same mindset- do well and graduate with a high score. Although it was competitive, it was more the reason for students to band together and support one another. In a program like IB that's incredibly difficult, it was almost impossible for anyone to get through it alone- at least, that was my experience. I found that people were more than happy to help each other, sharing notes and teaching each other concepts. As the IB does not rely on a bell-curve grading system like the ATAR, this means that one person getting a high score does not make it harder for another person to do well. This is one thing that I appreciated- that we competed with ourselves to be constantly better rather than be in competition with others where people would ultimately be more selfish with resources etc. in order to do good.

Review Expectations versus reality

I didn’t really have any expectations for the school considering it was a public school, but I don’t like how nosy the school is. I dropped my daughter to school very early one time and she got a detention for being on her phone at 7:30 in the morning and got it taken away. Quite ridiculous I don’t think… Read all

I didn’t really have any expectations for the school considering it was a public school, but I don’t like how nosy the school is. I dropped my daughter to school very early one time and she got a detention for being on her phone at 7:30 in the morning and got it taken away. Quite ridiculous I don’t think the school should be able to take my children’s belongings like that, especially that early in the morning. She was then told to go to the library and borrow a book to read instead of being on her phone. Mind you the library opens at 8.

Review Chances to take part in the arts

In Year 11, students can choose to specialise in one or two arts subjects. Being a music student, I thought the opportunities were really cool (eg; getting a professional string quartet to play your composition) and loved the recording studio. Other disciplines also always had their own events like theatre… Read all

In Year 11, students can choose to specialise in one or two arts subjects. Being a music student, I thought the opportunities were really cool (eg; getting a professional string quartet to play your composition) and loved the recording studio. Other disciplines also always had their own events like theatre performances and art showcases. It was nice to see other students work. Albeit, it is important to note that while there is this creative freedom, it is still limited by the IB guidelines and assessments.

Review School culture

My school’s culture was most definitely strict. Despite it being a public school, our principal had enforced private school-like rules that I found impacted the wellbeing of students.

Review School culture

The school was pretty relaxed in my opinion, they can only be so strict when you’re doing the wrong thing. They are strict when it comes to the uniform, but I never really wore it incorrectly so I didn’t get in trouble for it. Everyone stuck to their own groups, there were lots of multicultural groups… Read all

The school was pretty relaxed in my opinion, they can only be so strict when you’re doing the wrong thing. They are strict when it comes to the uniform, but I never really wore it incorrectly so I didn’t get in trouble for it. Everyone stuck to their own groups, there were lots of multicultural groups when I was in school who spoke different languages so it would be hard to make new friends beyond those groups as everyone was quite reserved.

Review School culture

The rules were strict and upheld tightly. But socially it varied a lot. You had many different groups from academically focussed to more laid back. Everyone was treated equally no matter what group they were apart of. It would definitely be easy to fit in as you just have to find like minded people.… Read all

The rules were strict and upheld tightly. But socially it varied a lot. You had many different groups from academically focussed to more laid back. Everyone was treated equally no matter what group they were apart of. It would definitely be easy to fit in as you just have to find like minded people. In the earlier year I found myself and others moved around a lot from group to group but as you progress you eventually settle down and stick with one group.

Review Would you recommend it?

Yes, I would recommend CDSHS because it offers a strong academic curriculum, a variety of extracurricular activities, and a supportive learning environment. The school has excellent facilities and dedicated teachers who are passionate about student success. However, some areas, like student well-being… Read all

Yes, I would recommend CDSHS because it offers a strong academic curriculum, a variety of extracurricular activities, and a supportive learning environment. The school has excellent facilities and dedicated teachers who are passionate about student success. However, some areas, like student well-being support and discipline, could be improved.

Review School culture

CDSHS had a balanced culture—it wasn’t overly strict, but there were clear rules and expectations. It leaned more toward a modern approach to education, with a focus on student engagement and digital learning. The school encouraged independence but also maintained traditional values in terms of respect and discipline.

Review Something only students would know

I am sure parents would have no idea how much fun the events they have in store for graduating students. Each cohort would have their own little thing when the year would finish. My cohort had a peg to the uniform competition, where students would eliminate each other throughout the last few months by… Read all

I am sure parents would have no idea how much fun the events they have in store for graduating students. Each cohort would have their own little thing when the year would finish. My cohort had a peg to the uniform competition, where students would eliminate each other throughout the last few months by attaching a peg on the uniform with their names on it. We also had a sleepout at school, where we played friendly competitions with teachers and amongst friends, get some food and overall shenanigans. On the last formal day of school, students also tie dyed white uniforms and had our classmates sign it with a message with a sharpie. In the same week, we also had water-park like bouncy castle sort of things on the oval, which was alot of fun. I think my school was special in that aspect. Parents ofc had to sign permission forms, but thats not the same thing as actually experiencing such events.

Review School culture

The school encouraged students to dress appropriately and wear the school uniform with pride, while also allowing a degree of personal expression. Particularly jn the older grades the sense of community was much stronger and people generally knew and were friendly with everyone in their cohort which was highly encouraged by staff.

Review School culture

The school administrators tried to keep it strict but we were always a lot more relaxed and most teachers would relax a bit which made for less clashing. For example our senior prank was everyone swapping uniforms for the day - boys wearing the skirts and green shirts and girls wearing the white shirts… Read all

The school administrators tried to keep it strict but we were always a lot more relaxed and most teachers would relax a bit which made for less clashing. For example our senior prank was everyone swapping uniforms for the day - boys wearing the skirts and green shirts and girls wearing the white shirts and pants, and most teachers were on board, but the admins and year level coordinator withheld formal invitations to anyone who didn't change back. Everyone was in full correct uniform aside from gender, but it was considered 'disruptive'.

Review Bullying and getting to school safely

bullying wasn’t really an issue for me but i had an incident in year 7 with a girl who was sort of bullying me (i told her to stop but she just thought it was funny and kept harassing me), anyway i told the school about it and she was disciplined and i’m pretty sure she was kicked out so i’d say the… Read all

bullying wasn’t really an issue for me but i had an incident in year 7 with a girl who was sort of bullying me (i told her to stop but she just thought it was funny and kept harassing me), anyway i told the school about it and she was disciplined and i’m pretty sure she was kicked out so i’d say the school has a pretty good way of handling bullies.

Review School culture

it was pretty chill for the most part, students were laid back and most teachers were apart from a few strict ones. everyone kinda had their own little groups which was fine.

Review School culture

The culture was very facetious, many staff disregarded student complaints (even serious ones like racism from teachers, targeted bullying amongst students, etc.) There was a very thinly veiled culture of strictness from teachers; rules and standards were enforced incredibly unevenly amongst teachers,… Read all

The culture was very facetious, many staff disregarded student complaints (even serious ones like racism from teachers, targeted bullying amongst students, etc.) There was a very thinly veiled culture of strictness from teachers; rules and standards were enforced incredibly unevenly amongst teachers, leading to a general pervasive sense of apathy amongst students and staff in the school.

Review School culture

It felt somewhere between modern relaxed and somewhat traditional, which mirrored the mix of both older and newer teachers in the faculty. Students were especially modern and relaxed, rules weren't enforced until it became a problem.

Review School culture

there were strict policies and counseling services to address conflicts. Most students felt safe and supported.

Review Bullying and getting to school safely

Bullying was somewhat an issue, it was kind of a case-by-case basis but most of them ended up with the bully being expelled or suspended from the school. I felt totally safe getting to and from school.

Review School culture

Kinda relax mix with strict. Due to the presence of students from multiple countries, various cultures will be represented.

Review School culture

The school was not academically strict however was very picky when it came to school uniform and attire. Personally I did not enjoy this part as I didn’t believe that the school uniform policy should determine whether a student can or cannot be at school and not really heavily influence their academic… Read all

The school was not academically strict however was very picky when it came to school uniform and attire. Personally I did not enjoy this part as I didn’t believe that the school uniform policy should determine whether a student can or cannot be at school and not really heavily influence their academic outcomes. This did eventually play a role when students were not able to attend classes because of their additional piercings or nail polish which I did not think was a reasonable excuse to remove students in grade 11 and 12 from the learning environments in order to punish them.

Review School culture

The school culture was a blend of traditional and modern elements. While there were strict rules regarding attendance and academic integrity, the overall atmosphere was relaxed and supportive. Students were encouraged to express themselves and participate in various activities. The vibe was collaborative… Read all

The school culture was a blend of traditional and modern elements. While there were strict rules regarding attendance and academic integrity, the overall atmosphere was relaxed and supportive. Students were encouraged to express themselves and participate in various activities. The vibe was collaborative rather than overly competitive, with a strong emphasis on teamwork and mutual respect. Most students were friendly and inclusive, making it relatively easy to fit in, although there were some established social groups.

Review School culture

My school was strict when it came to enforcing serious rules as mentioned before, but a lot more relaxed in the classroom. Teachers were always happy to joke around and have a laugh with the students, but we always got the work done and got back on track if the conversations steered too far from the… Read all

My school was strict when it came to enforcing serious rules as mentioned before, but a lot more relaxed in the classroom. Teachers were always happy to joke around and have a laugh with the students, but we always got the work done and got back on track if the conversations steered too far from the content. My school was definitely more modern than traditional, and students were a lot more relaxed and happy to support each other rather than compete with each other. I remember my friends and I would always organise large study groups to help everyone do their best for externals, when we could've just kept to ourselves and fought for the best ATAR. It was also easy to fit in with other groups; everyone was always open and welcoming and happy to hang out. New students in particular were treated like royalty; everyone wanted to get to know them and show them around and make them feel welcome and comfortable, which was really good to see.

Review School culture

Strict especially on uniform, it seemed like they were prioritising the wrong stuff as they cared more about uniform than behaviour. It got to the point where it affected day to day life as students would be hyper fixated on uniform and this would lead to an increase in misbehaviour.