John Paul College primary school children sitting together on the grass outside their classroom
For families from Korea · 한국 가족을 위하여

Prep to university —

Your child can start with us in Prep, or arrive for Year 7 — and leave with a university place. Most Korean families come to Brisbane together and live here while their child studies.

Talk to Our Team Pathway at JPC Guardian Visa

한국어로 보기 Find an authorised agent in Korea

30yrs Welcoming Korean families Prep–12 On one campus 45 Nationalities on campus 5 National awards, 2004–24

Primary to Year 12

Outstanding NAPLAN and ATAR Results

Ahead of the Queensland average in every NAPLAN subject at Years 3 and 5 — and, thirteen years later, our strongest median ATAR on record.

See our full results and every year since 2020

NAPLAN Results

2026 NAPLAN · Australia’s national literacy and numeracy test Ahead of the state average in every subject
50%
of Year 5 children write above the expected level
ACARA level: Exceeding
Queensland average 13% — nearly 4× ahead
43%
of Year 3 children read above the expected level
ACARA level: Exceeding
Queensland average 18% — more than double
94%
of Year 3 children write at or above the expected level
ACARA level: Strong or Exceeding
Queensland average 70% — 24 points ahead
5/5
subjects above the Queensland average
Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar, Maths
At both Year 3 and Year 5
Students from overseas

Our international students are thriving

Across all five subjects at Years 3 and 5 in 2026 — in their second language, with no student withdrawn or exempted.

98%

of their results were at or above the expected level

64%

were above it — ACARA level Exceeding

Year 5 maths 2026 93%

reach the expected level or beyond, against a Queensland average of 67%. Our results have improved three years in a row.

NAPLAN is sat by every child in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, on the same days, right across Australia — which is what makes it comparable between schools. See the full NAPLAN detail

ATAR Results

Class of 2025 Top Graduate Chanu Jung
99.95 ATAR
99.4%
QCE attainment
Queensland Certificate of Education
12%
of students achieved
ATAR 99 or above
Top 1% of the state
32%
of students achieved
ATAR 95 or above
Top 5% of the state
53%
of students achieved
ATAR 90 or above
Top 10% of the state
JPC Median ATAR 2025 91.00
0255075100

The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is the score Australian universities use to offer places. It runs from 0 to 99.95. International students sit the same subjects and the same external examinations as everyone else. Percentages are of the known ATAR-eligible Year 12 cohort. What is the ATAR?

Why Families Choose Us

One Campus. Everything Your Child Needs on It.

Thirty-three hectares in Daisy Hill, shared by children from 45 nationalities. Sport, music, science and the pool are all a walk from the classroom — not a bus ride, not an extra fee, and not something your child has to choose between.

Recognised nationally

Five national awards since 2004: the IDP Award (the first school ever to win it), NEAS Gold Standard in 2018, NEAS national awards in 2021 and 2022, and an Australian Education Awards honour in 2024.

See our awards

A recognised curriculum

Our primary school delivers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Our secondary school follows the Australian Curriculum, then the Queensland Certificate of Education and an ATAR for university entry.

See our courses

A leader in preparation courses

Home of Australia’s first NEAS-endorsed Primary Preparation Course, with High School Preparation taught by our own language specialists — on the same campus your child will graduate from.

Find Your Starting Point

An amazing campus

The Stephen Paul Aquatic Centre, the Stephen Bean Theatre, the Stephen Bowers Oval, a Science Centre, a dance studio and the Noelene Munns Learning Centre — all inside the school gate.

See the campus map

A sports academy pathway

13 or more inter-school sports across all four terms — and a High Performance Academy for students who pursue representative pathways at state and national level.

See the sport program

Award-winning music

An award-winning performing arts program: bands, string orchestras, choirs and chamber groups, with lessons from Prep to Year 12. Our Korean graduate Kris Pyun played in eight ensembles.

See the music program

Walk the campus in 360°

Find Your Starting Point

Your Pathway to John Paul College, Brisbane

Korean families have been choosing John Paul College for thirty years. Where your child starts depends on their English. Some students join regular classes straight away. Others begin in a preparation program, then move across when they are ready. From there the path is the same: primary school, secondary school, then Years 11 and 12. In those final two years, students work towards an ATAR. That is the rank Australian universities use to offer places — much as the 수능 does in Korea. Our graduates go on to universities in Australia and overseas. You can read two Korean students’ own stories further down this page. Find your child’s starting point below.

Primary Entry

Lower Primary (Prep – Year 3)
Depends on English level

Primary School Preparation (Entering Years 4 – 6)

Upper Primary (Years 4 – 6)
Secondary Entry
Depends on English level

High School Preparation Program

Secondary School (Years 7–12)

University & Global Careers
  • JPIC — our English preparation courses
  • JPC — mainstream classes at John Paul College

Every starting point has its own tuition and CRICOS code — see the full fee schedule and entry requirements.

Year levels

Which year level would my child enter?

Korean primary, middle and high school years map cleanly onto ours. The one exception is Year 12 — students do not join it part-way through, because Years 11 and 12 are a single two-year programme.

Korean school stages and their John Paul College equivalents
In KoreaAt John Paul CollegeAge on entry
초등학교 1–6학년Year 1 – Year 66 – 11
중학교 1–3학년Year 7 – Year 912 – 14
고등학교 1–2학년Year 10 – Year 1115 – 16

This table is a guide. Admissions confirms your child’s final placement from their school reports — and Prep, the year before Year 1, is available for children turning five.

Not sure which year level your child would enter, or what the whole journey costs?

Try the Pathway Calculator
Wellbeing · Prep to Year 12

Wellbeing and Character: The Part of School Not on the Timetable

Marks are only half of what a family is choosing. The other half is the person your child becomes — and at John Paul College that half has a name, a shape and a program.

SOARING is our own wellbeing and character framework — built on Positive Psychology and taught in every year from Prep to Year 12. Select a branch of the JPC SOARING Tree to see what grows there.

SO

Strong Outcomes

Setting & achieving meaningful goals

Establishing, striving for and achieving personal goals, in belief in oneself — important for self-esteem and wellbeing, and helping to cultivate resilience when students face challenges in life.

Skills growing on this branch
  • Identity
  • Goal orientation
  • Decision-making
  • Mindsets
  • Grit & persistence
  • Adaptability
  • Reflective practice
Prep – Year 6

In primary

SOARING sits beside Friendology 101, an international program that teaches children how to be a good friend. Each year has its own focus — Begin, Explore, Share, Care, Think, Create, Lead.

See our primary wellbeing program Years 7 – 12

In secondary

SOARING carries twenty-four character strengths through the years when confidence is decided. Students learn to name what they are good at, and to practise it.

See our secondary wellbeing program

For a child who will study, work and lead in a second language, this is not a soft extra. Confidence, teamwork and the willingness to speak up are what turn good marks into real opportunities.

Where you’ll live

Where Korean Families Live Near John Paul College, Brisbane

Once a family decides on the school, the next question is always the same: where would we live? John Paul College sits in Daisy Hill, at the southern edge of Brisbane. Everything below is within about thirty minutes of the school gate — including a Korean-speaking community with its own supermarkets and restaurants.

Tap a numbered pin — or its row in the list — to see what is there.

Daisy Hill Conservation Park Pacific Motorway M1 CAMPUS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
The suburbs around the campus and the M1 Pacific Motorway, drawn to true bearings. The gold dot is the College. Every number matches a row in the list. Simplified illustration — not to scale for navigation.

Drive times are approximate and depend on traffic. College bus services and TransLink public transport cover this area. Our International Team will confirm which routes reach the address you are considering, before you sign a lease.

Coming with your child

Most Korean families come to Brisbane together

One parent comes too, and the family lives in Brisbane while their child studies. You will not be the first: there is an established community of guardian parents at the College.

Your child 500

Student visa

You 590

Student Guardian visa

  • You stay together — you live with your child for the length of their student visa, or until they turn 18.
  • You can study English yourself — up to 20 hours a week of intensive English (ELICOS), while your child is at school.
  • The visa does not permit work. Please plan your family’s finances on that basis. We would rather you knew now than after you arrive.

Visa decisions are made by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, not by the College, and the rules change from time to time. Please treat this as an orientation rather than as advice — our International Team will confirm what applies to your child’s age and your family’s situation before you apply.

Ask our International Team

Famous Alumni

From our English classes to the Premier League

Ki Sung-yueng 기성용 did not arrive with perfect English. He started at John Paul International College, in the same preparation courses your child would take.

He graduated from John Paul College in 2006. He went on to play for the South Korean national team at the 2012 London Olympics. He captained his country at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He played in the English Premier League.

At school everyone knew him as David. In 2024 he came back to walk the campus again. In this short film he talks about his years here, and leaves a message for the students coming after him.

The preparation courses are not a lesser route into the College. They are where he began. Find your child’s starting point.

Korean Students

They Started Where Your Child Is Starting

One arrived for the secondary years and one grew up here. Both left for an Australian university.

Music · Class of 2020

Kris Pyun

Kris arrived from Gyeonggi and started in Level 2 English. Eight ensembles later he was presented with the Captains Cup at Speech Night, the College’s award for its finest all-round cultural student. He left with an offer from Griffith University’s Queensland Conservatorium.

Read Kris’s story
Swimming · Graduate

Min Oh 오승민

Min swam 6:30am squad before class and kept up with his subjects through online courses while he was away racing. He won his first national gold medal as a John Paul College student, and he is now training towards Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.

Read Min’s story
We’re here to help

Let’s take the first step together

You do not have to work this out on your own. Tell us where your child is now, and we will help you find the right year level, the right entry route and what it costs.

How to apply

Three steps, and we walk you through all of them

  1. Talk to us first

    Tell us your child’s age, school year and English level. We will tell you honestly which entry route fits — before you spend anything.

    Talk to our team →

  2. Check what is needed

    School reports, English level and an interview with the Head of School. Families applying through the Preparation Pathway do not need a result from any external English test.

    Entry requirements → · Fees →

  3. Apply

    Apply online, or through an education agent in Korea if you would rather work with someone locally. Once your child has a place, we help with the visa paperwork, the school uniform and the first week.

    How to apply → · Find an agent →

Personal support

You can ask us in Korean

Soo Kim, EA to the Deputy Principal, International and Accommodation
Soo Kim 한국어 상담 가능 EA to the Deputy Principal, International & Accommodation

Soo Kim can talk you through the application, the year level and the paperwork in your own language. Ask her anything — there is no such thing as too early.

Talk to Our Team

We reply within two business days.

Common questions

Questions Korean families ask us most

How different is the time in Brisbane from Seoul?

Brisbane is one hour ahead of Seoul, and neither Korea nor Queensland changes its clocks during the year, so the one-hour gap holds all year. You can call your child after school, every day, without either of you doing arithmetic.

How long is the flight from Korea to Brisbane?

Incheon to Brisbane is a direct flight of about nine and a half hours. There is no transit, no changing planes in another country and no overnight stop with a tired child. Grandparents can visit without it becoming an expedition.

Does anyone at the College speak Korean?

Yes. Soo Kim, EA to the Deputy Principal, International & Accommodation, speaks Korean, so you can ask your questions and read our answers in your own language. You can also apply through an education agent in Korea if you would rather work with someone locally — see the authorised agents.

When does the Australian school year start?

The Queensland school year runs from late January to early December, in four terms. A child finishing the Korean school year in February arrives at a natural break, near the start of our Term 1. See our term dates.

When can my child start?

There are four intakes a year — January, April, July and October. The Queensland school year runs from late January to early December, in four terms. See our term dates.

Does my child need an English test result to apply?

No external English test result is required to apply through the Primary School Preparation pathway. Direct entry to Primary School is for children whose English and school reports already meet the College benchmarks. See the entry requirements.

How much does primary school cost for a Korean family?

Primary School tuition is A$29,500 per year for 2027. Primary School Preparation, for children who need English support first, is A$8,575 per term. Other one-off and annual fees apply — see the full fee schedule.

How much does secondary school cost for a Korean family?

Years 7 to 10 tuition is A$34,300 per year for 2027. Years 11 and 12 is A$34,900 per year. High School Preparation, for students who need English support first, is A$8,575 per term. Other one-off and annual fees apply — see the full fee schedule.

Where do Korean families usually live?

Most settle in the suburbs south of Brisbane between the school and the city. Sunnybank and Eight Mile Plains both have an established Korean-speaking community with Korean supermarkets and restaurants. Eight Mile Plains is about twelve minutes from the school gate by car, and Sunnybank about twenty.

Start the conversation

Tell us about your child and our International Team will guide you, step by step — primary or secondary, entry route, year level, fees, and where other Korean families have settled. There is no cost, and no obligation to apply.

Talk to Our Team Find an agent in Korea