Co-Ed vs. Single-Sex Education: Do Rankings Tell the Full Story?

Every year, school ranking lists spark spirited debate among students, parents, and educators alike. The latest Schools 360 rankings of Australia’s top private schools, based on the factors of academic excellence, student wellbeing, learning programs, learning environment, and institutional excellence, have done it again.

The 2025 list is telling. Not a single co-educational school appears in the top 10. The highest-ranked such institution, St Leonard’s College in Victoria, comes in at number 11. The next doesn’t appear until rank 17, and is the only other to make the top 20. Only six appear in the top 40, and nine make the top 50, meaning more than 80% of the country’s highest-ranked private schools operate on a single-sex model.

For some, this reinforces the long-standing belief that single-sex schools, particularly prestigious boys’ and girls’ schools, offer an tangible edge. But the question remains: do the rankings reflect actual educational quality, or something else entirely?

The Case for Single-Sex Education

Advocates of single-sex schooling often point to several potential benefits:

• Focused Learning Environment: Without the social dynamics and sometimes distractions of mixed-gender classes, students may be more engaged.

• Tailored Teaching Styles: Teachers can adapt approaches to better fit the needs and tendencies of a single gender.

• Confidence in Participation: In some settings, especially in subjects like STEM for girls or literature for boys, students may feel more comfortable speaking up without fear of stereotypes or gender-based judgment.

It’s worth noting that many of the top-ranked single-sex schools are also among the most well-resourced, with long histories, extensive alumni networks, and generous funding. In other words, it may not always be the single-sex format itself driving their performance.

The Case for Co-Ed

Co-ed supporters argue that their model better reflects the real world, preparing students for life beyond school:

• Social Development: Learning alongside different genders mirrors workplaces and communities, helping build interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.

• Diversity of Perspectives: Classroom discussions and group projects benefit from varied viewpoints, shaped by different life experiences.

• Breaking Down Stereotypes: Daily exposure to peers of the opposite gender can encourage respect.

From this perspective, rankings might undervalue qualities that aren’t as easily measured, like adaptability, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

Is the Ranking Gap About Gender at All?

Here’s the crucial point: the Schools 360 rankings don’t measure “co-ed” or “single-sex” as criteria. They assess factors such as academic excellence, wellbeing, learning programs, environment, and institutional quality. The scarcity of co-ed schools in the top tier says much less about co-ed as a concept and more about the resources and cultural prestige of many of those single-sex schools in Australia’s private sector.

Our elite single-sex schools have century-old reputations, often larger endowments, and deep alumni networks. Many co-ed schools, while growing in prominence, are simply younger institutions without the same level of financial or institutional advantage.

A Balanced Take

Rather than reading this year’s rankings as a definitive verdict on school type, it might be more accurate to see them as a snapshot of where prestige, funding, and tradition intersect. Co-ed schools have room to climb, and as more families seek inclusive and real-world learning environments, we may see their representation in the top 10 change over the next decade.

For now, the takeaway is simple: school type matters less than school quality. Students can thrive in either setting if they have access to great teachers and an environment that inspires learning. Rankings are one measure of success, but it's important to remember they are not the whole story.