Prescott College vs Wilderness School
Prescott College (Prospect) and Wilderness School (Medindie) are both independent schools in Adelaide. Prescott College is co-educational; Wilderness School is a girls’ school. Prescott College teaches 7-12 and Wilderness School teaches R-12. Only Wilderness School takes boarders. Prescott College has 206 students and Wilderness School has 856 (ACARA 2025). They are about 1.3 km apart in a straight line.
Photos: Wilderness School: Photo: Michael Coghlan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr
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.
Compare these schools in full →A$9.99 a year, cancel anytimeSecure payment by Stripe
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 | Prescott College | Wilderness School |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb | Prospect | Medindie |
| Region | Adelaide - Central and Hills | Adelaide - Central and Hills |
| Sector | Independent | Independent |
| Students | Co-ed | Girls |
| Year levels | 7-12 | R-12 |
| Religion | Seventh-day Adventist | Non-denominational |
| Boarding | No | Yes |
| Senior years | SACE | SACE (IB not found) |
| Facilities and sport (school site) | Library | Gym, Theatre / performing arts centre, Music centre, Boarding, Early learning centre, Library, Science / STEM labs, Australian rules football, Soccer, Netball, Basketball, Rowing, Swimming, Athletics, Tennis, Hockey, Volleyball, Badminton, Water polo |
| Distance apart | About 1.3 km in a straight line | |
Facts from ACARA (2025) and each school’s own website.
Which suits whom
- Families wanting a co-educational school: Prescott College is co-ed.
- Families wanting a single-sex school for a daughter: Wilderness School takes girls only.
- Families needing boarding: only Wilderness School takes boarders.
- Families choosing by faith: Prescott College is Seventh-day Adventist; Wilderness School is Non-denominational.
- Size: Wilderness School is the larger school, with 650 more students.
- Smaller ratio: Prescott College has fewer students per teacher (9.6 against 11.1, ACARA 2025).
- Listed by Wilderness School but not Prescott College: Gym, Theatre / performing arts centre, Music centre, Boarding, Early learning centre, Science / STEM labs, Australian rules football, Soccer, Netball, Basketball, Rowing, Swimming, Athletics, Tennis, Hockey, Volleyball, Badminton and Water polo.
History
Prescott College
Prescott College traces its start to 1906, when a church school opened in a classroom attached to the Prospect Seventh-day Adventist Church with 15 students. It closed for a short time in 1917 and reopened in 1920, and in 1936 it moved to its present site on Koonga Avenue, Prospect.
Source: prescottcollege.com.au
Wilderness School
Wilderness began in 1884, when Margaret Hamilton Brown started a small school in her parents’ home, with her youngest sister Mamie among the first five pupils. A kindergarten based on Friedrich Froebel’s ideas followed, and in 1893 Margaret bought a building on Northcote Terrace for a school she later named “The Wilderness”.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between Prescott College and Wilderness School?
Prescott College is co-educational; Wilderness School is a girls’ school. Prescott College teaches 7-12 and Wilderness School teaches R-12. Only Wilderness School takes boarders.
Is Prescott College or Wilderness School co-ed?
Prescott College is co-educational and Wilderness School is a girls’ school.
Which is bigger, Prescott College or Wilderness School?
Wilderness School is bigger: 856 students against 206 (ACARA 2025).
How many students per teacher do Prescott College and Wilderness School have?
Prescott College has 9.6 students per teacher and Wilderness School has 11.1 (ACARA My School 2025: total enrolments divided by full-time-equivalent teaching staff).
Which is older, Prescott College or Wilderness School?
Wilderness School is older. Prescott College was founded in 1906 and Wilderness School in 1884.
Do Prescott College and Wilderness School take boarders?
Only Wilderness School takes boarders.
How far apart are Prescott College and Wilderness School?
About 1.3 km in a straight line: Prescott College is in Prospect and Wilderness School is in Medindie.
How do Prescott College and Wilderness School 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
- Blackfriars Priory School vs Prescott College
- Seymour College vs Wilderness School
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- Walford Anglican School for Girls vs Wilderness School
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