Mount Barker Waldorf School vs St Francis de Sales College
Mount Barker Waldorf School (Mount Barker) is a independent school and St Francis de Sales College (Mount Barker) is a catholic school. Both are co-educational. Both teach R-12. Mount Barker Waldorf School has 321 students and St Francis de Sales College has 1,047 (ACARA 2025). They are about 1.9 km apart in a straight line.
Photos: St Francis de Sales 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 | Mount Barker Waldorf School | St Francis de Sales College |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb | Mount Barker | Mount Barker |
| Region | Adelaide - Central and Hills | Adelaide - Central and Hills |
| Sector | Independent | Catholic |
| Students | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| Year levels | R-12 | R-12 |
| Religion | Non-denominational (Steiner/Waldorf education) | Catholic |
| Boarding | No | No |
| Senior years | SACE | SACE (VET options) |
| Facilities and sport (school site) | Gym, Oval, Indoor sports centre, Music centre, Early learning centre, Library | |
| Distance apart | About 1.9 km in a straight line | |
Facts from ACARA (2025) and each school’s own website.
Which suits whom
- Families choosing by faith: Mount Barker Waldorf School is Non-denominational (Steiner/Waldorf education); St Francis de Sales College is Catholic.
- Size: St Francis de Sales College is the larger school, with 726 more students.
- Smaller ratio: Mount Barker Waldorf School has fewer students per teacher (10.8 against 15.3, ACARA 2025).
History
Mount Barker Waldorf School
Mount Barker Waldorf School was founded in 1979 as the first Waldorf (Steiner) school in South Australia. It spent its first year in rented church halls in Norwood, then gifts of land and money let it move to its present site on Sims Road at Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills.
Source: mbws.sa.edu.au
St Francis de Sales College
The school’s story starts in 1902, when Sisters of Mercy from Broken Hill and inland New South Wales set up a convent at Mount Barker, with a day school, a girls’ boarding school and a primary school, all called St Scholastica. By 1945 it had 46 day students and 64 boarders.
Source: stfrancis.catholic.edu.au
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between Mount Barker Waldorf School and St Francis de Sales College?
Both are co-educational. Both teach R-12. Mount Barker Waldorf School has 321 students and St Francis de Sales College has 1,047 (ACARA 2025).
Is Mount Barker Waldorf School or St Francis de Sales College co-ed?
Both are co-educational.
Which is bigger, Mount Barker Waldorf School or St Francis de Sales College?
St Francis de Sales College is bigger: 1,047 students against 321 (ACARA 2025).
How many students per teacher do Mount Barker Waldorf School and St Francis de Sales College have?
Mount Barker Waldorf School has 10.8 students per teacher and St Francis de Sales College has 15.3 (ACARA My School 2025: total enrolments divided by full-time-equivalent teaching staff).
Which is older, Mount Barker Waldorf School or St Francis de Sales College?
St Francis de Sales College is older. Mount Barker Waldorf School was founded in 1979 and St Francis de Sales College in 1902.
Do Mount Barker Waldorf School and St Francis de Sales College take boarders?
Neither takes boarders.
How far apart are Mount Barker Waldorf School and St Francis de Sales College?
About 1.9 km in a straight line: Mount Barker Waldorf School is in Mount Barker and St Francis de Sales College is in Mount Barker.
How do Mount Barker Waldorf School and St Francis de Sales 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