Kildare College vs St Paul's College
Kildare College (Holden Hill) and St Paul's College (Gilles Plains) are both catholic schools in Adelaide. Kildare College is a girls’ school; St Paul's College is co-educational. Kildare College teaches 7-12 and St Paul's College teaches R-12. Kildare College has 768 students and St Paul's College has 1,191 (ACARA 2025). They are about 1.8 km apart in a straight line.
Photos: Kildare College (school website) · St Paul's College (school website)
See both schools’ full fees, ATAR results and cost to Year 12
Every year level’s fees from each school’s own schedule, the results each school publishes, and the total cost to Year 12, side by side.
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Key numbers
Students, ICSEA, students per teacher and girls/boys: ACARA My School 2025 (students per teacher is total enrolments divided by full-time-equivalent teaching staff; it isn’t class size).
Fees and results
Side by side
| Fact | Kildare College | St Paul's College |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb | Holden Hill | Gilles Plains |
| Region | Adelaide - North | Adelaide - North |
| Sector | Catholic | Catholic |
| Students | Girls | Co-ed |
| Year levels | 7-12 | R-12 |
| Religion | Catholic (Brigidine) | Catholic (Edmund Rice) |
| Boarding | No | No |
| Senior years | SACE (VET options) | SACE |
| Facilities and sport (school site) | Theatre / performing arts centre | Gym, Oval, Library, Science / STEM labs, Tennis courts, Australian rules football |
| Distance apart | About 1.8 km in a straight line | |
Facts from ACARA (2025) and each school’s own website.
Which suits whom
- Families wanting a single-sex school for a daughter: Kildare College takes girls only.
- Families wanting a co-educational school: St Paul's College is co-ed.
- Families choosing by faith: Kildare College is Catholic (Brigidine); St Paul's College is Catholic (Edmund Rice).
- Size: St Paul's College is the larger school, with 423 more students.
- Listed by Kildare College but not St Paul's College: Theatre / performing arts centre.
- Listed by St Paul's College but not Kildare College: Gym, Oval, Library, Science / STEM labs, Tennis courts and Australian rules football.
History
Kildare College
Kildare College was set up by the Brigidine Sisters as a girls’ school for Years 7 to 12. Classes began in February 1966 with 32 students, and the college was officially opened on 13 March that year.
Source: kildare.catholic.edu.au
St Paul's College
St Paul's College opened at Gilles Plains in 1959 after the Christian Brothers closed St Laurence's boys' school at Ovingham, where they had taught for 53 years. Local parish priests and the archdiocese agreed that the Brothers would own and run the new college, whose design placed classrooms around a central hall.
Source: stpauls.sa.edu.au
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between Kildare College and St Paul's College?
Kildare College is a girls’ school; St Paul's College is co-educational. Kildare College teaches 7-12 and St Paul's College teaches R-12. Kildare College has 768 students and St Paul's College has 1,191 (ACARA 2025).
Is Kildare College or St Paul's College co-ed?
Kildare College is a girls’ school and St Paul's College is co-educational.
Which is bigger, Kildare College or St Paul's College?
St Paul's College is bigger: 1,191 students against 768 (ACARA 2025).
How many students per teacher do Kildare College and St Paul's College have?
Kildare College has 13.1 students per teacher and St Paul's College has 12.8 (ACARA My School 2025: total enrolments divided by full-time-equivalent teaching staff).
Which is older, Kildare College or St Paul's College?
St Paul's College is older. Kildare College was founded in 1966 and St Paul's College in 1959.
Do Kildare College and St Paul's College take boarders?
Neither takes boarders.
How far apart are Kildare College and St Paul's College?
About 1.8 km in a straight line: Kildare College is in Holden Hill and St Paul's College is in Gilles Plains.
How do Kildare College and St Paul's College fees compare?
Each school publishes its own fee schedule. Members see both schedules year by year, the results each school reports and the total cost to Year 12. Always confirm current fees with the school.
Related comparisons
School profiles
Get the full picture: fees, ATAR results and cost to Year 12
Every year level’s fees from each school’s own schedule, the results each school publishes, and the total cost to Year 12, side by side.
Compare these schools in full →A$9.99 a year, cancel anytimeSecure payment by Stripe
Source and date
Enrolment, ICSEA, students per teacher and girls/boys: ACARA My School 2025. Other facts: each school’s website, checked 21 October 2026. Distance is a straight line between the schools’ map points, not travel distance. Check details with the schools before deciding. Methodology