The McDonald College

What The McDonald College does

The McDonald College is an independent, non-denominational, co-educational K-12 school located at 17 George St, North Strathfield in Sydney's Inner West, Australia. Founded in 1984 as the first school of its kind in Australia, it integrates performing arts and elite tennis training into the normal school day, with students typically spending up to two hours daily in their chosen stream. The college offers seven core streams — Classical Ballet, Dance, Acting, Music, Musical Theatre, Technical Production (Years 10-12), and Elite Tennis (Years 7-12, delivered in partnership with Voyager Tennis Academy) — alongside a standard academic curriculum. On-campus facilities include nine fully equipped dance studios and Olympic tennis courts, plus boarding accommodation for 45 students of all genders in Years 7-12.

The college generates revenue through multiple streams: recurring K-12 tuition (the core offering), fee-for-service Private Tuition in dance, music, and acting (priced at approximately $56.50–$96.50 per lesson, open to the general public), the After Hours Program (Mon-Sat term-time classes), the International Summer School (5-day dance intensive), and boarding fees. K-12 enrolment requires application and auditions held four times per year for Years 5-12 entry, with scholarships and payment plans available; the college is also CRICOS-registered (02293K) to enroll international students. The technology stack underpinning operations is standard educational SaaS — Microsoft Office 365, Turnitin, Atomi, ClickView, PaperCut, and Box of Books — accessed via a Student Portal.

The school is governed by a College Council chaired by Antoinette Colbran, with Principal Maxine Kohler (a co-founding partner) leading academic and operational leadership since 1984. Other council members bring senior cross-industry experience from Allianz Australia, Johnson Winter Slattery, WCM Chartered Accountants, the Australian Institute of Higher Education, and Benchmark Experts. The 2025 academic outcomes (27 HSC Drama OnStage nominations, 24 HSC Dance CALLBACK nominations, 2 HSC Music ENCORE nominations, and the NSW High School Tennis Championship) provide visible evidence of student outcomes, while an active alumni network of professional performers, dancers, actors, and musicians supports ongoing brand equity.

Name

The McDonald College

Legal name

The McDonald College

Website

https://mcdonald.nsw.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The McDonald College is an independent K-12 school in Sydney's Inner West that integrates performing arts (ballet, dance, acting, music, musical theatre, technical production) and elite tennis streams into the academic school day, with on-campus boarding, private tuition, and an international summer school.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools (EDAJABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Physical Education & Health Instruction (EDAJAFAL), Physical Education (PE) & Fitness Programs (EDAJAJAC)

Keywords

• Performing arts education
• K-12 private school
• Classical ballet training
• Elite tennis program
• Independent school Sydney

Headquarters

HQ city

Strathfield

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. K-12 Tuition: Tuition fees for K-12 students (Kindergarten through Year 12) with academic focus integrated with performing arts and elite tennis streams. Boarding available for up to 45 boarders in Years 7-12.
2. Private Dance Tuition: Private lessons lasting 30 minutes to 1 hour for dance students, available to both enrolled students and the general public. Priority given to current students and After Hours Program participants.
3. Private Music Tuition: Private music lessons for various instruments and voice, open to everyone. Includes opportunities for students to participate in performances throughout the year.
4. Private Acting Tuition: Peripatetic acting tutoring including eisteddfod preparation, HSC performance preparation, audition preparation, and acting for camera skills.
5. After Hours Program: Ballet, Dance, Music, and Acting classes open to everyone, running Mon-Sat during school term. Additional programs include International Summer School (5-day summer program of dance classes and workshops).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The McDonald College is an independent, non-denominational, co-educational K-12 school in Sydney's Inner West that delivers integrated academic education alongside specialist performing arts streams (Classical Ballet, Dance, Acting, Music, Musical Theatre, Technical Production) and an Elite Tennis stream, with students spending up to two hours daily in their chosen stream. Beyond core K-12 enrollment, it sells fee-for-service Private Tuition in dance, music, and acting, on-campus Boarding for up to 45 Years 7-12 students, an After Hours Program in ballet/dance/music/acting open to the public, and an International Summer School dance intensive.\n

Product overview

The McDonald College is an independent K-12 performing arts and elite tennis school offering a unique integrated model where students pursue performing arts (Classical Ballet, Dance, Acting, Music, Musical Theatre, Technical Production) or Elite Tennis streams for up to two hours daily alongside academic studies. The core product is the K-12 educational program with streaming specialisations, complemented by add-on services including Boarding (45 boarders Years 7-12), International Summer School, After Hours Program, and fee-for-service Private Tuition in dance, music, and acting. The school also provides a Student Portal for accessing administrative services and educational resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Educational Program An independent, non-denominational, co-educational K-12 school program that delivers performing arts and elite tennis streams integrated into the normal school day, with students spending up to two hours daily in their chosen stream alongside full academic study towards the HSC.
• Classical Ballet Stream Classical ballet training stream integrated into the K-12 school day, described as being at the forefront of ballet training in Australia since 1926, with alumni having performed alongside the world's best dancers.
• Dance Stream School-day dance program covering contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, tap, and ballet disciplines, integrated into the K-12 school day.
• Acting Stream School-day acting program with alumni who have performed alongside the world's best actors, integrated into the K-12 academic school day.
• Music Stream School-day music program taught by staff with years of experience as practising musicians, integrated into the K-12 school day.
• Musical Theatre Stream School-day musical theatre program with alumni performing in best-selling productions in Australia and overseas, integrated into the K-12 school day.
• Technical Production Program (Years 10-12) Years 10-12 program providing practical expertise in the end-to-end process behind the scenes for performing arts productions.
• Elite Tennis Program (Years 7-12) Elite tennis training program for students already demonstrating a strong level of play, integrated into the school day on Olympic-spec tennis courts, delivered in partnership with Voyager Tennis Academy.
• Boarding Service On-campus boarding service providing accommodation for up to 45 boarders of all genders in Years 7-12, supporting both domestic and international students.
• International Summer School A 5-day summer program of dance classes and workshops, open to the public, enabling international and domestic students to experience College-level training without full enrollment.
• Private Dance Tuition Personalised 30-minute to 1-hour dance lessons including eisteddfod preparation, solo choreography, RAD coaching, technique coaching, and exam preparation; priced at $65 (standard 30 min) to $75 (solo choreography 30 min), available to enrolled students and the general public.
• Private Music Tuition Music lessons covering acoustic guitar, bass guitar, brass, clarinet, drums, electric guitar, flute, piano (classical and contemporary), saxophone, theory/composition, violin, voice (classical, contemporary, jazz, musical theatre), and woodwind; pricing from $56.50 (30 min) to $96.50 (1 hour), taught by Bachelor of Music-qualified tutors.
• Private Acting Tuition One-on-one acting lessons covering eisteddfod preparation, HSC performance preparation, audition preparation, acting for camera skills, showreel preparation, and AMEB/Trinity College of London examination preparation; $85 per hour or part thereof, with a 30-minute minimum.
• After Hours Program After-school and weekend performing arts classes in ballet, dance, music, and acting, running Monday to Saturday during school term and open to everyone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27 OnStage nominations in 2025 HSC Drama examinations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Voyager Tennis AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Partnership for Elite Tennis stream (Years 7-12) providing performance sports training integrated into school day. Voyager Tennis Academy provides specialized tennis coaching for students demonstrating strong level of play.
• NAISDA Dance CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni pathway for graduates pursuing dance careers. NAISDA is Australia's leading arts training organisation providing nationally accredited qualifications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA): Australia's flagship tertiary performing arts institution and a noted alumni destination for McDonald graduates; while tertiary rather than K-12, it anchors the talent pipeline that McDonald's streams feed.

Others

• The BRIT School: UK performing arts school for ages 14-19 with integrated academic curriculum — internationally comparable model of performing arts streaming within a school day, useful for cross-market benchmarking.

Direct peers

• Brent Street Studios: Sydney performing arts training studio offering full-time and part-time programs in dance, singing, and acting — competes for the same performing-arts-focused students and families, especially those considering after-hours or private tuition pathways.
• Voyager Tennis Academy: Sydney-based elite tennis training academy and existing strategic partner for McDonald's Elite Tennis stream — directly comparable tennis-training provider whose students may overlap with McDonald's tennis stream cohort.
• Newtown High School of the Performing Arts: NSW public high school specializing in performing arts across dance, drama, music, and visual arts — the closest direct analogue to McDonald's performing-arts-integrated academic model, though state-funded rather than independent.

Emerging players

• NAISDA Dance College: Australia's leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts training college — listed as an alumni pathway partner for McDonald graduates pursuing dance careers, comparable training destination.
• Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP): Sydney-based specialist drama school for young people offering acting, writing, and production programs — overlaps with McDonald's Acting stream and private acting tuition audience.

Regional players

• Tangara School: Independent Catholic girls' school in Cherrybrook (Sydney) — comparable premium-fee Sydney independent competing for academically focused families in the same metro catchment.
• Sydney Boys High School: Selective public high school with strong co-curricular performing arts and sports — competes for high-achieving Sydney families seeking academic rigour plus enrichment, often at lower cost.
• Ascham School: Independent non-denominational girls' school in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs — comparable premium independent school competitor for Sydney families evaluating alternative academic-focused private education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/mcdonaldcollege/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheMcDonaldCollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/themcdonaldcollege
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcdonaldcollege

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The McDonald College