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BestSchools FAQs

BestSchools helps Australian families research schools with more context. Here is how our information, commercial model and contact pathways work.

The short version

Schools can pay for greater visibility. They cannot pay to change government-sourced school facts, and paid placement is not an independent recommendation.

Can schools pay to rank higher on BestSchools?

It depends what you mean by rank. Schools on paid plans can get more prominent placement in eligible listings, and those placements are labelled. They can't pay to change government-sourced facts such as enrolments or results, and paid placement isn't an independent rating of quality. Parents always see the same official data for every school, whether or not it pays.

Using BestSchools

Coverage, free family access, reviews and what happens when you contact a school.

BestSchools aims to provide broad coverage of Australian schools using publicly available government data. School details can change, so families should confirm important information with the school. If you spot an error or a missing school, please tell us.

No. Families can search for schools, compare options and use our planning tools without paying BestSchools.

BestSchools does not currently publish school star ratings or parent reviews. Profile content and placement should not be read as an endorsement; use the information as a starting point and check important details directly with each school.

When you submit an enquiry, booking request or similar form, the details you provide are shared with the selected school so it can respond. Read our Terms & Policies for more information about how personal information is handled.
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Commercial Model & Ordering

How BestSchools is funded, where paid visibility applies and what it does not change.

Schools can pay for profile upgrades, promotional placements and other services. Paid participation helps fund the platform and can affect visibility, so we explain commercial influence openly rather than presenting every result as neutral.

Yes. An active paid plan can influence where a school appears within an eligible set of search or directory results. Labelled Featured placements show published schools with active Starter, Growth or Premium subscriptions, ordered by most recent activation. Free listings, trials, pilot access and complimentary access are excluded. Payment does not change government-sourced school facts.

Your search and selected filters determine which schools are eligible. Within that set, active paid plan level and available school imagery can influence the order. Free listings and trials receive no plan-based ordering benefit. This means the first result is not necessarily an independent recommendation or the best school for your family.
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Information & Accountability

Data sources, claimed profiles, corrections and who operates BestSchools.

Profiles combine publicly available government data with content supplied by schools. School-supplied content can include descriptions, images, fees, events and contact details. Because sources and update cycles differ, families should confirm time-sensitive details with the school.

A claimed profile means an authorised school representative has been approved to manage eligible profile content. It does not mean BestSchools independently verifies every statement the school publishes or endorses the school.

Use our Contact Us page and include the school name, profile link and the detail that needs attention so the team can investigate.

BestSchools is operated by IGNITE®. You can read more about the team on our About page and find the legal operator details in our Terms & Policies.
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