Choosing a School: A Guide for Parents

Parramatta Marist High School, Westmead

Choosing a school is a big moment. Right up there with choosing a pram, a first pet or agreeing to sign your child up for weekend sport for the next decade.

It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed, but take a breath. This guide is here to make the process feel lighter, clearer and a lot less daunting, so you can feel confident you’re asking the right questions and find a school that truly fits your child for any grade.

Step 1: Source reputable information

The internet has opinions, lots of them. It can be easy to get lost in the scroll, so start with people you trust. Chat to friends, family and other parents about their experiences. Then jump onto school websites and social media to get a feel for their values, learning style and community. You’ll quickly start to see what feels like a match.

Step 2: Identify your must-haves

Every family is different, so be clear on what matters most to you. Maybe location and travel time are non-negotiable. Maybe affordability, fees and uniforms matter most. You might also be looking for a school that aligns with your family’s values or faith. Don’t forget to ask about eligibility requirements or waiting lists - schools are always happy to help.

Step 3: Look beyond the classroom

The best schools don’t just teach, they nurture. Alongside academic learning, look for schools that support wellbeing, character and confidence. Consider extracurricular activities, how schools approach wellbeing and safety and how schools communicate with families. A strong school culture makes all the difference.

Step 4: Consider your child’s abilities and interests

Your child’s interests, abilities and needs should be at the heart of your decision. Think about how your child learns best and whether they have any additional learning, language or physical needs. Consider their interests too! Whether that’s sport, languages, science, music or the arts and how the school supports these passions.

St Joseph's Primary School, Kingswood.

Step 5: Look long-term

It’s worth imagining your child five or ten years down the track. Does the school offer the opportunities, resources and experienced staff to support their growth over time? Looking at alumni stories, student achievements and the school’s track record can give you insight into the kind of young people the school helps shape.

Step 6: Attend an Open Day or plan a school visit

Nothing beats seeing a school in action, and attending an Open Day is one of the best ways to experience what makes a school unique. Explore learning spaces, meet students, teachers and school leaders and gain a sense of the school’s culture and community. It’s also a valuable chance to ask questions about learning and wellbeing support, co-curricular opportunities and how success is nurtured and celebrated beyond academic results.

Most importantly, trust your instincts. When a school feels right for your child and your family, you’ll know.

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) offers 80 primary and secondary schools across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. With high-quality learning programs, state-of-the-art facilities, a wide range of extracurricular opportunities and a strong focus on wellbeing and belonging, CSPD schools empower every child to thrive and strive for greatness.

Click here to find and register for an Open Day near you

Written By

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au

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04 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Belong to Something Greater 🧩💛 Yesterday afternoon, Year 4 had so much fun with a special craft activity! Each student created a jigsaw piece about themselves, and together we built a big image showing that we are all different, but we belong to something greater – our Holy Spirit community. We especially loved having parents join in and be part of the fun—what a wonderful way to celebrate community and connection!

04 Mar 2026
From Facebook
✨ 𝖡𝖤𝖫𝖮𝖭𝖦 𝖳𝖮 𝖲𝖮𝖬𝖤𝖳𝖧𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖦𝖱𝖤𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖱 ✨ 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖢𝖺𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖼 𝖲𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅𝗌 𝖶𝖾𝖾𝗄, 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖪𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗀𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝖦𝗈𝖽’𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗒 💛 𝖠𝗌 𝗐𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝗅𝖾𝖼𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖡𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖦𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝗐𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖩𝖾𝗌𝗎𝗌 𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍 — 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌. 𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗀 𝖽𝗂𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌, 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗍𝗁. 𝖳𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋, 𝗐𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀. 𝖳𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋, 𝗐𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖾. 🌟 #𝖢𝖺𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖲𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅𝗌𝖶𝖾𝖾𝗄