Mount Carmel College vs Portside Christian College
Mount Carmel College (Rosewater) is a catholic school and Portside Christian College (New Port) is a independent school. Both are co-educational. Both teach R-12. Mount Carmel College has 1,204 students and Portside Christian College has 626 (ACARA 2025). They are about 2.5 km apart in a straight line.
Photos: Mount Carmel 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 Carmel College | Portside Christian College |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb | Rosewater | New Port |
| Region | Adelaide - West | Adelaide - West |
| Sector | Catholic | Independent |
| Students | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| Year levels | R-12 | R-12 |
| Religion | Catholic (Josephite and Marist traditions) | Christian (Pentecostal church school) |
| Boarding | No | No |
| Senior years | SACE (VET options, Western Technical College) | SACE (VET options, Trade Training Centre) |
| Facilities and sport (school site) | Early learning centre, Library | Oval, Library, Athletics |
| Distance apart | About 2.5 km in a straight line | |
Facts from ACARA (2025) and each school’s own website.
Which suits whom
- Families choosing by faith: Mount Carmel College is Catholic (Josephite and Marist traditions); Portside Christian College is Christian (Pentecostal church school).
- Size: Mount Carmel College is the larger school, with 578 more students.
- Listed by Mount Carmel College but not Portside Christian College: Early learning centre.
- Listed by Portside Christian College but not Mount Carmel College: Oval and Athletics.
History
Mount Carmel College
Mount Carmel College traces its roots to 1868, when the Sisters of St Joseph, led by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods, opened schools at Port Adelaide and Pennington. The Marist Brothers opened a boys’ school in the district in 1897, and the girls’ secondary school took the Mount Carmel name in 1940.
Source: mcc.catholic.edu.au
Portside Christian College
Portside Christian College was started in 1976 by the church now called Portlife, then based at Rosewater, as Trinity Christian School, which the church describes as the first independent Christian primary school in South Australia. In 1990 the church bought land at 1 Causeway Road, Ethelton, and built a church and school together; the school took the name Portside Christian School that year, and the complex was opened in 1992.
Source: portlife.org.au
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between Mount Carmel College and Portside Christian College?
Both are co-educational. Both teach R-12. Mount Carmel College has 1,204 students and Portside Christian College has 626 (ACARA 2025).
Is Mount Carmel College or Portside Christian College co-ed?
Both are co-educational.
Which is bigger, Mount Carmel College or Portside Christian College?
Mount Carmel College is bigger: 1,204 students against 626 (ACARA 2025).
How many students per teacher do Mount Carmel College and Portside Christian College have?
Mount Carmel College has 14.4 students per teacher and Portside Christian College has 14.0 (ACARA My School 2025: total enrolments divided by full-time-equivalent teaching staff).
Which is older, Mount Carmel College or Portside Christian College?
Mount Carmel College is older. Mount Carmel College was founded in 1868 and Portside Christian College in 1976.
Do Mount Carmel College and Portside Christian College take boarders?
Neither takes boarders.
How far apart are Mount Carmel College and Portside Christian College?
About 2.5 km in a straight line: Mount Carmel College is in Rosewater and Portside Christian College is in New Port.
How do Mount Carmel College and Portside Christian 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