This guide collects the key facts international families need before applying to St Paul’s Grammar School, an independent Christian school in Cranebrook, New South Wales, about an hour’s drive west of central Sydney at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Everything below comes from the school’s official website, accessed on August 5, 2026. International tuition is quoted in Australian dollars and reflects the school’s international fee schedule effective from December 2025; always check the latest version on the official website before budgeting.
About St Paul’s Grammar School
St Paul’s Grammar School describes itself as an Independent Christian Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 school offering both the NESA curriculum and the International Baccalaureate (IB). It was established in 1983 to serve the Penrith area, and its campus covers about 70 acres of native gardens and bushland at 52 Taylor Road, Cranebrook NSW 2749. The school’s motto is “In Christo Futurum”, and its stated values are hope, grace, love, wonder, humility, faith, truth and community.
Facilities listed on the official website include an Innovation Learning Centre for STEM and science, a Heritage Building housing the chapel and an examination space, an arts quarter with music production and performance studios, a multi-purpose hall with two basketball and netball courts, design and technology workshops, a central cafe, four tennis courts, two football pitches and an athletics track. Open morning tours are offered for both the Junior and Secondary School.
Programs and Curriculum
St Paul’s Grammar School runs a full Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 pathway built on an IB continuum integrated with the NSW curriculum. Pre-Kindergarten and the Junior School follow the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP); the school’s website states it was the first school in New South Wales authorised to offer the PYP, introduced in 2002. Mandarin Chinese, specialist music and physical education enrich the primary years, and Year 6 students complete an annual Exhibition as the culmination of the Junior School.
From Year 7 to Year 10, students at St Paul’s Grammar School study both the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the NESA curriculum, meeting the requirements of both. A language is compulsory in these years, with French, Chinese and Latin on offer, and from Year 9 students choose two-year electives across the arts, design and commerce. In Year 11, students choose between the NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) and the IB Diploma Programme. The IB Diploma was first taught at the school in 1990, and the Primary and Middle Years programmes were authorised in 2003, making St Paul’s Grammar School the first school in NSW to offer the full PYP-MYP-DP continuum; the senior school is typically split about half IB Diploma and half HSC.
International Student Entry Requirements
St Paul’s Grammar School is registered on CRICOS (the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) as St Paul’s Grammar School Penrith Ltd, provider code 02267A. It is approved to deliver four courses to international students: Primary (Kindergarten to Year 6, CRICOS 041263D), Junior Secondary (Year 7 to Year 10, 041264C), Senior Secondary (Year 11 to Year 12, 041265B) and the IB Diploma Programme (Year 11 to Year 12, 075876E), all taught on campus.
The official website states that prospective international students need appropriate educational qualifications or experience, a level of English proficiency sufficient to succeed in the course, and an age appropriate to the year level applied for. The detailed checklist is contained in the school’s Enrolment Requirements document; the website does not publish a single language test cut-off, so families should verify the current requirement against the latest official version. Some students are asked to complete an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) before entry. All international students also need a student visa, issued through the Australian federal Department of Home Affairs; the school notes it also welcomes enquiries from students holding other visas such as bridging visas.
Academic Year and Application Timing
The school year at St Paul’s Grammar School runs from late January to early December, divided into two semesters of two terms each. The school prefers international students to begin at the start of a semester, though other entry points may be considered case by case. Year 11 students must commence in January, with no late enrolments accepted. Students are expected to attend for the full term; arriving late or leaving early can put their student visa conditions at risk.
Applications for international students are handled by the school’s Office of the International Student Programme. For local families, the published six-step process is: book a tour, apply online with the application fee, attend an enrolment interview (for future-year applications, interviews are held in Term 2 of the year before entry), receive the offer and enrolment contract, accept by returning documents and paying the enrolment fee, and start. Applications are accepted throughout the year subject to availability.
Tuition Fees and Other Costs
The international fee schedule published by St Paul’s Grammar School is effective from December 2025 and all amounts are in Australian dollars. The application fee is AUD 1,000 per student, non-refundable and inclusive of GST; the enrolment deposit is AUD 10,000 per student, payable before a Confirmation of Enrolmentis issued. Annual tuition is AUD 40,200 for Primary (Kindergarten to Year 6) and AUD 47,900 for Secondary (Year 7 to Year 12).
Accommodation charges apply whether a student lives in homestay or with an approved relative: a one-off placement fee of AUD 250, a monitoring fee of AUD 250 per term, and a homestay accommodation fee of AUD 70 per night. Other costs include the IB Diploma exam and administration fee of AUD 215 per term, an HSC charge of approximately AUD 1,500 per student (subject to the NSW Government invoice), plus uniforms, textbooks, stationery, travel, optional cocurricular activities, and annual compulsory activity and resource levies (service, camp and technology) that vary by year group. Overseas Student Health Coveris mandatory for the visa and can be arranged by the school at the time of the enrolment offer. For reference, the local (domestic) fee schedule effective from January 2026 lists annual tuition from about AUD 14,216 in Kindergarten to AUD 24,364 in Years 11-12, plus levies — international families should use the international schedule, which is a separate document.
Homestay and Accommodation
St Paul’s Grammar School offers international students two accommodation options: living with a parent or a Department of Home Affairs approved relative, or living in school-approved homestay, for which the school holds a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW). The homestay programme has run for many years and is primarily aimed at secondary students. A homestay family provides a single room with bed, desk, lamp, chair and storage, linen changed weekly, three meals a day plus snacks with a packed lunch on school days, utilities with heating and cooling, and cleaning of the room and common areas.
A staff member is appointed as homestay coordinator and is available around the clock while students are in residence, and homestay families are selected and monitored by the school. The school also highlights that staying with a local family helps international students improve their English and learn about Australian culture. On campus, students can use the central cafe, the multi-purpose hall, the arts facilities and the outdoor sporting grounds, and learning is supported through the my.stpauls online platform and a one-to-one laptop programme.
Scholarships
St Paul’s Grammar School offers a limited number of scholarships for students entering Year 5, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11 (with Christian Congregational Scholarships open from Year 3). Categories include Academic, All-Rounder, Performing Arts, Christian Congregational and Financial Support scholarships. Academic scholarships are awarded on the results of the ACER Scholarship Test, held in February, with the school itself acting as an ACER examination centre; Financial Support scholarships are means-tested and open to families who have applied for enrolment. Applications for 2027 entry closed on 27 February 2026, so check the official website for the next round.
Final Checklist and Next Steps
Before applying to St Paul’s Grammar School, run through this checklist: confirm the child’s age fits the year level (4 years old by the end of April for Pre-Kindergarten, 5 for Kindergarten); read the latest international fee schedule rather than the domestic one; note that Year 11 entry is January-only, so work backwards from that date for materials, offers and visa processing; and treat the English requirement and detailed entry checklist as something to verify against the current official version, since the website does not publish a single cut-off score. All figures in this guide come from the school’s official website as of August 5, 2026, and the official website remains the authority if anything changes. For personalised advice on whether the school suits your child’s year level, language level and budget, speak with our study-abroad advisers.