Four John Paul College secondary students walking together across the Daisy Hill campus in Brisbane
For families from Taiwan · 歡迎來自台灣的家庭

Kindergarten to Year 12 —

Talk to Our Team When should my child start high school in Australia?

Find an authorised agent in Taiwan

4 Intakes every year 2hrs Time difference, all year 45+ Nationalities on campus 5 National awards, 2004–24

Years 7 to 12

Outstanding ATAR and NAPLAN Results

Australian universities offer places on the ATAR. In 2025 our median was the strongest on record, and more than half the cohort placed in the top 10% of the state — on a campus where the primary years are ahead of the Queensland average in every NAPLAN subject.

See our full results and every year since 2020

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?

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Across all five subjects at Years 3 and 5 in 2026 — in their second language, with no student withdrawn or exempted.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

Why Families Choose Us

One Campus. Everything Your Child Needs on It.

Thirty-three hectares in Daisy Hill, shared by students from over 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 secondary school follows the Australian Curriculum, then the Queensland Certificate of Education and an ATAR for university entry. Our primary school delivers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

See our courses

A leader in preparation courses

High School Preparation is taught by our own language specialists, on the same campus your child will graduate from — not outsourced to a separate language college.

See how it works

An exceptional 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 through to Year 12 — alongside debating, drama and student leadership.

See the music program

Walk the campus in 360°

Timing

When should my child start high school in Australia?

Years 9 and 10 are the years to explore. Years 11 and 12 are the years to perform. Arriving for Years 9 and 10 gives your child two years to find their strengths and build a career pathway before the senior programme begins.

Years 9 and 10 at John Paul College are built for exploring. Students try a broad range of subjects, discover what they are good at, and begin to specialise. With our teachers and Careers team, each student shapes a Junior Education and Training Plan (JETPlan), so they enter Year 11 with a clear direction for their career pathway. The JPC SOARING Tree, our Positive Education framework, runs alongside, helping students recognise their strengths, set goals and persist when work is hard. These are also the years when students build friendships and grow in confidence, one of the most important parts of the student journey.

John Paul College Pathways to University and Career

From 國中三年級 in Taiwan to a university place

Every step of this pathway is planned, and your child is supported at each one. Only the English preparation stage changes in length, because it is shaped around your child rather than a fixed timetable.

  1. June

    Finish 國三

    Your child completes 國中三年級 in Taiwan at the end of June, when the Taiwanese school year ends.

  2. July

    Arrive at JPC

    Your child arrives in Brisbane for our Term 3 intake, settles into homestay or boarding, and is guided through the first week by our International Team.

  3. John Paul International College
    1–4 terms

    English Preparation

    High School Preparation at JPIC, on our campus. Students progress to the next level when they are ready, rather than on a fixed schedule.

    Find Your Starting Point
  4. John Paul College
    Next January

    Year 10

    Year 10: the exploring year. Your child joins mainstream JPC classes and tries a broad range of subjects. With our teachers and Careers team they shape a JETPlan, and the SOARING Tree builds the confidence to go with it. Senior subjects are chosen at the end of this year.

    Find Your Starting Point
  5. Years 11–12

    The Senior Years

    One two-year programme leading to the Queensland Certificate of Education and an ATAR, with senior mentoring and career guidance.

  6. Graduate

    University & Career

    A Queensland Certificate of Education and an ATAR are recognised by universities in Australia and around the world. Together they open a world of opportunity for every John Paul College graduate.

Students who already meet the English benchmark proceed directly to mainstream classes. There are four intakes a year — January, April, July and October — so a June completion is not the only possible entry point. We do not accept students into Year 12: it is assessed across the whole year, so it cannot be joined part-way through.

Our graduates’ experience bears this out. arrived from Hong Kong in 2022, developed her English at JPIC, joined Year 9 and graduated three years later with an ATAR of 99.25. arrived in Year 6 with limited English and graduated as College Vice Captain — well established long before the senior years began.

Calculate your pathway University Pathways Talk to Our Team
Find Your Starting Point

Your Pathway to John Paul College, Brisbane

Students start in a preparation program that matches their English level. When they graduate from the Preparation Courses, they join regular classes at John Paul College across primary and secondary school. During the Senior Years 11 and 12, they work towards a strong ATAR — the score Australian universities use to offer places. Many go on to leading universities in Australia and overseas. Explore the pathways below to find the pathway that’s right for you.

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
Year levels

Which year level would my child enter?

Taiwanese school years map directly 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.

Taiwanese school stages and their John Paul College equivalents
In TaiwanAt John Paul CollegeAge on entry
國小一至六年級Year 1 – Year 66 – 11
國中一至三年級Year 7 – Year 912 – 14
高中一年級Year 1015
高中二年級Year 1116

This table is a guide. Admissions confirms your child’s final placement from their school reports. Prep, the year before Year 1, is available for children turning five, and a Primary School Preparation course supports children entering Years 4 to 6. See Primary School.

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

English Preparation

What if my child’s English is not ready?

They begin on the same campus, taught by our own teachers, and transfer to mainstream classes when they are ready. This is the pathway Venus followed to an ATAR of 99.25.

No external English test required

Families applying through the preparation pathway do not need an IELTS, AEAS or Cambridge result. Provide your child’s school reports and our teachers assess their English directly.

See the entry requirements

Taught on our campus

A five-level pathway, from foundation English to academic readiness, taught by our own specialist teachers. Very few Australian schools provide this on their own campus rather than through a separate language college.

High School Preparation

How long will it take?

That depends on where your child starts. Students progress to the next level when they are ready, rather than on a fixed schedule. We provide a realistic estimate from their school reports before you make any commitment.

Plan the arrival date

Where it leads

Venus arrived from Hong Kong in 2022 and began at John Paul International College at the intermediate level of English. She joined Year 9, and graduated in 2025 with an ATAR of 99.25. The preparation pathway is not a lesser route into the College.

Read Venus’s story
Care & Safety

Who cares for your child in Australia?

From the moment your child lands in Brisbane, our International Team is with them. They know where to find us, and there is always someone to call. Here is an ordinary school day, from morning to evening, so you can see who is with them at each point in it.

Every international student under 18 must have approved welfare arrangements for the whole length of their student visa. John Paul College provides them. Your child’s care is arranged and supervised by the school, rather than something you organise yourself from Taiwan.

Sunrise to Bedtime

A student’s life at John Paul College

Move through the day one moment at a time, or press play. This is an ordinary Tuesday, from waking up to lights out. It includes the Extended Day Program, which supports your child long after class ends, with homework help, a community dinner and door-to-door transport home.

A twin-share villa room at Fenton Village, John Paul College Sunrise

The day starts where your child lives

Boarders wake in a twin-share room at Fenton Village, a short walk from class. Homestay students wake in their own room, in the home of a local family the College has checked and approved.

Whichever you choose, your child has named people responsible for them, and a 24/7 emergency hotline to call.

Compare the options

Premium Homestay

A checked local family, a structured care plan and a 24/7 emergency hotline, in every placement. Many homestay programs provide only accommodation and meals. Ours provides structured care.

See Premium Homestay

Boarding at Fenton Village

A boutique boarding community on campus, with dedicated boarding staff and supervised study. Everything is a short walk from class.

See Boarding

The JPC CARE framework

Every placement runs on the same pastoral model — Connect, Achieve, Respect, Empower. Your child has named people responsible for them, and a 24/7 emergency hotline to call.

Compare the options
Coming with your child?

Some families move to Brisbane together

If you would rather live in Brisbane with your child while they study, one parent can. Your child holds a Student visa and you hold a Student Guardian visa. There is an established community of guardian parents at the College, and the suburbs below are where most of them live.

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. It is better to know this before you plan 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

Where you’ll live

Where Taiwanese Families Live Near John Paul College, Brisbane

Whether you visit for a week or move here for the school years, the next question is always the same: where would we stay? 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 Sunnybank, the centre of Taiwanese life in Brisbane, with its own Taiwanese restaurants, bakeries and grocers.

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.

Wellbeing · Prep to Year 12

Confidence Grows Here, Year by Year

Confidence is learned, in the same way a subject is learned. At John Paul College, every student from Prep to Year 12 is taught how to build friendships, set goals and keep going when work is hard. This is what helps a child settle quickly in a new country, and it is what turns effort into strong results.

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 the skills it develops.

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

In primary

SOARING is taught alongside Friendology 101, an international program that teaches children the skills of friendship. Each year has its own focus — Begin, Explore, Share, Care, Think, Create, Lead.

See our primary wellbeing program Years 7 – 12

In secondary

SOARING develops twenty-four character strengths through the years in which confidence is formed. Students learn to identify their strengths and to practise them.

See our secondary wellbeing program

For a child who will study, work and lead in a second language, this is not an optional extra. A settled, happy student is a student who is ready to learn. Confidence, teamwork and the willingness to contribute are what turn strong results into real opportunities.

Graduates

They Started Where Your Child Is Starting

Two international students, two different starting points — one through English preparation, one from Year 6. Both finished at the University of Queensland.

Venus, John Paul College Class of 2025, who arrived from Hong Kong and graduated with an ATAR of 99.25
Hong Kong · Class of 2025

Venus

Venus arrived from Hong Kong in 2022 and began at John Paul International College at the intermediate level of English, before entering mainstream classes in Year 9. She graduated in 2025 with an ATAR of 99.25 — the top 1% in Queensland — and now studies Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland.

Read Venus’s story
Hong Kong · Class of 2025

Sophia

Sophia joined John Paul College from Hong Kong in 2019, arriving in Year 6 with limited English and few friends. Six years later she graduated as College Vice Captain, and went on to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Honours) at the University of Queensland.

Read Sophia’s story
We’re here to help

How do we apply from Taiwan?

You do not need to work this out alone. Tell us where your child is now, and we will help you identify the right year level, the right entry route and the right arrival date.

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 recommend a year level and an arrival date before you incur any cost.

    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 authorised education agent in Taiwan if you would rather work with someone locally, in your own language. Once your child has a place, we assist with the visa documentation, the uniform and the first week.

    How to apply → · Find an agent →

Personal support

You can ask us in Mandarin

Josephine Zhong, International Admission Co-Ordinator
Josephine Zhong 中文諮詢 International Admission Co-Ordinator

Josephine can guide you through the application, the year level and the documentation in your own language. You are welcome to contact her at any stage of your planning.

Our International Team answers questions from families in Taiwan every week. Brisbane is only two hours ahead, so a call at the end of your working day reaches us during ours.

You can also apply through an authorised agent in Taiwan, working in your own language. There is no cost to your family — the College pays the agent’s service fee.

Talk to Our Team

We reply within two business days.

Common questions

Questions Taiwanese families ask us most

When should my child arrive in Australia?

Years 9 and 10 are the years students explore subjects and build a career pathway. Senior subjects are chosen in Year 10, and Years 11 and 12 are one two-year programme leading to the QCE and an ATAR. Students who arrive for Years 9 and 10 have two years to discover their strengths before the senior years begin. John Paul College does not accept students into Year 12. There are four intakes a year: January, April, July and October.

My child finishes the school year in Taiwan in June. What happens then?

The Queensland school year runs from late January to early December, in four terms. A student finishing in Taiwan at the end of June arrives for our July intake, settles over two terms, and begins the next year level in January. See our term dates.

Which year level would my child enter?

Taiwanese school years map directly onto Australian year levels. 國小一至六年級 corresponds to Year 1 to Year 6, 國中一至三年級 to Year 7 to Year 9, 高中一年級 to Year 10 and 高中二年級 to Year 11. Prep, the year before Year 1, is available for children turning five. Year 12 is not available to new students. Admissions confirms the final placement from your child’s school reports.

How much does secondary school cost for a Taiwanese family?

For 2027, Years 7 to 10 tuition is A$34,300 per year and Years 11 and 12 is A$34,900 per year. High School Preparation is A$8,575 per term. Homestay is A$25,100 per year and boarding is A$27,350 per year. Other one-off and annual fees apply. Figures are a guide transcribed from the current fee schedule — confirm exact amounts against your Written Agreement before paying. See the full fee schedule.

How much does primary school cost for a Taiwanese family?

Primary School tuition at John Paul College 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.

Does my child need an IELTS result to apply?

No external English test result is required to apply through the High School Preparation or Primary School Preparation pathway. Direct entry is for students whose English and school reports already meet the College benchmarks. Every international applicant also completes an interview with the Head of School. See the entry requirements.

Does anyone at the College speak Mandarin?

Yes. Josephine Zhong, our International Admission Co-Ordinator, speaks Mandarin, so you can ask your questions and read our answers in your own language. You can also apply through an authorised education agent in Taiwan if you would rather work with someone locally — see the authorised agents.

Who is responsible for my child in Australia?

Every international student under 18 must have approved welfare arrangements for the length of their student visa. John Paul College provides them, through Premium Homestay or boarding at Fenton Village, with the JPC CARE framework in every placement and a 24/7 emergency hotline.

Where will my child live?

Either with a checked local homestay family, or in Fenton Village, the boarding community on the John Paul College campus. Premium Homestay includes the Extended Day Program: homework support after school, a community dinner with staff, and door-to-door transport home. Some families choose to live in Brisbane with their child instead — our team can explain what that involves. Compare the options.

How different is the time in Brisbane from Taipei?

Brisbane is two hours ahead of Taipei, and neither Taiwan nor Queensland changes its clocks during the year, so the two-hour gap holds all year. You can call your child after school every day without calculating the time difference.

How long is the flight from Taiwan to Brisbane?

Taipei to Brisbane is a direct flight scheduled at just under nine hours. There is no transit and no change of aircraft in another country, so family members can visit easily.

Where do Taiwanese families usually live in Brisbane?

Most settle in the suburbs south of Brisbane between the school and the city. Sunnybank, about twenty minutes from the school gate, is the centre of Taiwanese life in Brisbane: one in five residents speaks Mandarin at home and Taiwan is the second most common overseas birthplace (2021 Census). Its shopping centres carry Taiwanese groceries, bakeries, bubble tea and dozens of restaurants.

Can we try a shorter program first?

Yes. Study Abroad places students in mainstream Australian classrooms for periods from four weeks to one year. Study Abroad does not include Year 12 and does not include boarding. See Study Abroad.

Start the conversation

Tell us about your child and our International Team will guide you, step by step — year level, entry route, arrival date, fees, and how your child will be cared for. There is no cost, and no obligation to apply.

Talk to Our Team Find an agent in Taiwan