Private Schools Directory

What Private Schools Directory does

Private Schools Directory, operated by Future Media Group Pty Ltd, is a web-based online directory covering all ~3,000 Independent and Catholic private schools across Australia. Founded in 2006 by Christina Landis and headquartered in Elwood, Victoria, the platform enables parents to search for schools by location, type, gender, religion, boarding status, special needs, and alternative-education philosophies (Montessori, Steiner) using layered geographic maps with 2/5/10km radius search, a multi-filter school search, and a registered-user My Shortlist feature for cross-visit comparison. The technology stack consists of a searchable school database, school-self-managed profile pages, an interactive mapping layer, and a banner-advertising system.

The company's commercial model is a freemium hybrid. Basic school details and curriculum information are provided free to schools, while schools can purchase an annual Feature Page subscription that unlocks photos, descriptions, announcements, prospectus downloads, school crest display and social links. A secondary revenue stream comes from third-party banner advertising across the site. Schools self-manage their own listings via a web login portal. The directory has effectively saturated its addressable market: 2,984 of approximately 3,000 Australian private schools hold paid Feature Pages. Discounts are offered for schools subscribing across both the Private Schools Directory and its sister site Australian Schools Directory, as well as for groups or multi-campus enrolments.

The business operates with approximately 73 employees and is founder-owned with no disclosed external investors or parent company. Strategic positioning is defensive within a mature, fully-penetrated domestic niche: there is no disclosed M&A, funding activity, geographic expansion, or leadership change, and no AI/ML capability is signaled in the product. Reference partnerships exist with Australian State and Territory Education Departments and Independent Schools Associations for term-date and information linkage, but these are informational rather than commercial.

Name

Private Schools Directory

Legal name

Future Media Group Pty Ltd

Website

https://privateschoolsdirectory.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Private Schools Directory is an Australian web-based directory of all ~3,000 Independent and Catholic schools nationwide. Parents search and shortlist schools; schools self-manage listings and pay annual fees for enhanced Feature Pages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Directory Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (Aggregators) (EDAIALAE)

Keywords

• Private school directory
• Education directory platform
• School information services
• School search database
• Private education listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Elwood

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School Feature Page Subscriptions: Schools pay an annual fee to have a Feature Page on the directory. Feature Pages include contact details, school descriptions, photos, announcements, prospectus downloads, and school crest. Schools can update their pages at any time. Discounts available for schools booking Feature Pages on both the Australian Schools Directory and Private Schools Directory, and for groups of schools.
2. Banner Advertising: Third-party banner advertisements appear throughout the site, including on school feature pages and category pages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Private Schools Directory is an online directory listing all Australian Independent and Catholic primary and secondary schools, allowing parents to search by location, type, gender, religion, special needs, boarding status, and educational philosophy. The core platform is free for parents; schools pay an annual subscription fee to maintain an enhanced Feature Page with photos, school descriptions, announcements, prospectus downloads, school crest, and curriculum details.

Product overview

Private Schools Directory is a single unified online directory platform for Australian private schools, operated by Future Media Group. The core product is the directory itself, which offers free basic listings of all Catholic and Independent schools in Australia. Schools can enhance their presence through paid Feature Pages (an add-on module) with photos, descriptions, and downloads. The platform also offers curriculum search capabilities, My Shortlist functionality for registered users, and search filtering by location, type, religion, gender, special needs, and boarding options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Schools Directory (Core Platform) An online directory listing all Australian private schools (Independent and Catholic schools) at primary and secondary levels, allowing parents to search for schools by location, type, gender, religion, special needs, boarding status, and educational philosophy. The directory is free for parents to use and includes a free basic school details listing for all schools.
• Feature Pages

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Australian State and Territory Education DepartmentsminorOthersThe directory provides links to government education department websites for school term dates and related information. Term dates on the directory are indicative and sourced from government schools.
• Independent Schools AssociationsminorOthersLinks provided to various Independent Schools associations including AISNSW, AISVIC, and others for parents seeking additional information about independent schooling.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GreatSchools: The largest US K-12 school directory with parent-facing search, school profiles, and a self-service school portal. Highly comparable in business model (free parent search + paid school profiles) and information architecture, though at much larger scale.
• The Good Schools Guide: Established UK directory and review resource for independent (private) schools, combining editorial reviews with searchable profiles. Directly comparable in subject matter (private K-12 schools) though based in a different geography.
• Australian Schools Directory: Sister directory operated by Future Media Group itself, covering Catholic and government schools nationally using the same Feature Page model. It is the closest functional peer and effectively a co-product in the same publisher's portfolio.
• Niche: US K-12 school data and review platform that combines directory listings, parent reviews, and data-driven school rankings. Comparable as a content-rich school comparison destination monetised partly through school-side subscriptions and advertising.
• Private School Review: US private school directory with searchable profiles by location, religion, type and special programs, supported by advertising. A close analogue in scope (private schools only) and information density to Private Schools Directory.
• SchoolDigger: US K-12 school data platform allowing parents to compare schools by location, demographics and test scores. Comparable as a data-led school comparison/directory site with similar SEO-driven parent acquisition.

Broad incumbents

• Domain: Major Australian property portal that embeds school catchment and proximity data into property listings. Competes indirectly for parent attention during the school-selection journey that often coincides with home-buying decisions.

Regional players

• Edarabia: Middle East schools directory with searchable profiles by curriculum and location. Comparable directory model for private/international schools but focused on a different geography.
• WhichSchoolAdvisor: International schools directory covering Asia, Middle East and other regions, with parent reviews and school profiles. Comparable in business model (parent-facing directory + school marketing) but operates outside Australia.

Others

• Schools.au (Australian Independent Schools): Industry body representing Australian Independent Schools; not a direct competitor but an ecosystem stakeholder whose communications and member resources can substitute for some directory utility on the school-marketing side.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/private-schools-directory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Private Schools Directory