Our 30 schools and colleges educate almost 12,000 students across Far North Queensland – approximately 6,700 primary and 5,200 secondary – which is almost a quarter of all students in our region.
Our Diocese spans 377,000 km2 and our schools extend from Tully in the south, west to Dimbulah on the Atherton Tablelands, and north to Waibeni (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait. Most of our schools are within a two-hour drive of Cairns.
We have two P-12 colleges, 20 primary schools and eight secondary colleges – four offer boarding, one is co-located with James Cook University in Smithfield, and one provides youth assistance across three campuses in Cairns and Cooktown.
We are the largest non-government employer in the region, employing 1800 staff in teaching, non-teaching, professional and leadership roles.
We pride ourselves on fostering a strong sense of community spirit in a progressive and inclusive environment, with wide-ranging professional development opportunities and the latest technology and facilities, including modern physical education and arts amenities. Many of our schools have spacious auditoriums and sporting ovals, large undercover play areas and extensive music and arts offerings.
The first Catholic school in Far North Queensland opened in 1887 and for much of history our Catholic schools were staffed by religious orders. In modern times this is no longer the case, with ‘lay’ staff now operating all schools, including both Catholic and non-Catholic teachers.
CEDC