St Edmund's College Wahroonga

What St Edmund's College Wahroonga does

St Edmund's College Wahroonga is a non-profit Catholic specialist special education school on Sydney's Upper North Shore, serving approximately 120 students in Years 5-12 with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and sensory impairments (hearing and vision). Founded in February 1951 by the Christian Brothers as a school for blind boys, the institution was renamed St Edmund's College in 2015 and is governed by Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) under the Edmund Rice Special Education Services network. The school runs an integrated program combining NESA Life Skills curriculum, school-developed courses leading to the Higher School Certificate, VET training (Certificate II Hospitality, Certificate III Retail), weekly work-experience placements, allied health supports (Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Support), and pastoral frameworks (Zones of Regulation, SoSAFE, SWPBS). Core technology consists of standard educational tools and AAC communication devices rather than proprietary platforms.

The business model is a non-profit, B2C subscription-style tuition model: families are billed annually across three term instalments at A$7,170 (Y5-6), A$8,115 (Y7-10), and A$9,780 (Y11-12), inclusive of tuition, resource, sports, and a tax-deductible building levy. Go-to-market is direct enrolment through a Registrar with campus tours, prospectus distribution, and community-event presence at disability expos. Approximately 24 staff deliver two-class-per-year-level instruction at a stated 2:11 staff-to-student ratio. Revenue is supplemented by Australian government recurrent funding for special-education students and by community fundraising (Eddie's Mates has raised over A$2.5M cumulatively since 2007, supported by corporate partners including Commonwealth Bank, Woolworths, Lexus Chatswood, and McCarroll's Automotive). A 2024 three-stage campus refurbishment added a new library, student hall, sports field, science/music/art learning areas, and commercial kitchen; the heritage-listed Midhope building was repurposed for administration.

Name

St Edmund's College Wahroonga

Legal name

St Edmund's College

Website

https://stedmunds.nsw.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St Edmund's College Wahroonga is a non-profit Catholic specialist special education school on Sydney's Upper North Shore, governed by Edmund Rice Education Australia and serving approximately 120 students in Years 5-12 with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, autism, and sensory impairments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Special education school
• Special needs education
• Vocational training programs
• Autism support services
• Life skills curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Wahroonga

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Annual tuition fees charged to families for student enrolment. Fees are divided into three equal payments sent at the beginning of Terms 1, 2, and 3. Fee structure varies by year level: Years 5-6 at $7,170 p.a., Years 7-10 at $8,115 p.a., and Years 11-12 at $9,780 p.a. Fees include tuition, resource fee, sports fee, and a tax-deductible building levy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

St Edmund's College Wahroonga is a specialist Catholic special education school serving approximately 120 students in Years 5-12 with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, autism, and sensory impairments (hearing and vision). The College delivers NESA Life Skills curriculum leading to the Higher School Certificate, combined with vocational training (VET Hospitality, Certificate III Retail), work experience placements, allied health therapies (Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy), and post-school transition planning including NDIS support. Programs are delivered through small classes (two per year level) with high staff-to-student ratios in the Edmund Rice tradition.

Product overview

St Edmund's College Wahroonga is a specialist special education school offering a unified educational program for students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, autism, and sensory impairments in Years 5-12. The core offering consists of NESA-endorsed Life Skills and school-developed courses leading to the HSC, delivered through a single integrated program that combines classroom instruction with community-based learning, vocational training (VET Hospitality, Certificate III Retail), work experience pathways, and comprehensive student support services including allied health therapies. Programs are structured by stage (Stage 3 for Years 5-6, Stages 4-6 for Years 7-12) with shared pastoral care, wellbeing frameworks (Zones of Regulation, SoSAFE), and post-school transition planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Special Education Programs (Years 5-12)

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Holy Name Parish, WahroongacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Edmund's College works closely with Holy Name Parish for Catholic sacramental programs including Confirmation, Reconciliation, and First Communion. Students attend whole-school Masses at the Parish and the College engages with families for sacramental preparation.
• McCarroll's Automotive GroupminorOthersListed as a supporter of Friends of St Edmund's College community fundraising initiative.
• Lexus ChatswoodminorOthersListed as a supporter of Friends of St Edmund's College community fundraising initiative.
• Woolworths LtdminorOthersListed as a supporter of Friends of St Edmund's College community fundraising initiative. Students visit local Woolworths for financial literacy and community access programs.
• The Rotary Club of WahroongaminorOthersListed as a supporter of Friends of St Edmund's College community fundraising initiative. Rotary Club also hosts the Wahroonga Rotary Breakfast event.
• Commonwealth BankminorOthersListed as a supporter of Friends of St Edmund's College community fundraising initiative.
• North Sydney Disability NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents collaborate with the North Sydney Disability Network for enterprise and community-based learning experiences, helping students build job readiness and real-world communication skills.
• Studio Artes HornsbycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear 12 work experience placement venue for students, providing real workplace experience in a supported environment.
• The SAN Hospital Café, WahroongacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear 12 work experience placement venue for students participating in vocational training and hospitality programs.
• CNS Precision Assembly, HornsbycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear 12 work experience placement venue providing supported employment experience for students.
• McDonald's WaitaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear 12 work experience placement venue providing real-world employment experience for students.
• Carers NSWminorOthersSt Edmund's College acknowledges and supports carers through participation in National Carers Week. The College connects families with Carers NSW resources and events.
• AbbotsleighminorOthersPartner school for collaborative events including Eddie's Live performances, fostering cross-school relationships and community integration.
• Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Edmund's College is governed by Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) and follows the Edmund Rice tradition. The school aligns with EREA Touchstones: Gospel Spirituality, Liberating Education, Inclusive Community, and Justice and Solidarity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Affinity Education Group: Operates a large Australian network of early learning and education centres including some with special needs programs. Comparable as a scaled Australian education operator, though focused on mainstream early childhood education rather than dedicated special education.
• Sunnyfield: Non-profit disability services provider supporting people with intellectual disabilities across accommodation, lifestyle, and learning programs. Comparable in mission and client population, though broader in service scope than St Edmund's school-only offering.
• Royal Far West: Non-profit providing specialist health, education, and disability services to children in rural and remote NSW. Comparable as a non-profit specialist education provider for children with developmental needs, though broader in scope and geography.
• Cerebral Palsy Alliance (including SCP School): Large disability services provider operating the Special College for Individualised Education (SCP) and therapy services. Comparable special education offering with broader disability services portfolio and greater scale than St Edmund's.

Direct peers

• St Gabriel's School: Catholic special education school in Castle Hill, NSW, serving students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Closely comparable to St Edmund's in mission, student profile, size, and Catholic/Edmund Rice-adjacent governance tradition.
• Giant Steps: Specialist school in Sydney and Melbourne for students with autism and related disabilities. Comparable in operating model (small classes, individualised programs, post-school transition focus) and student population.
• NextSense (formerly Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children): Operates specialist schools and services for children with hearing and vision impairment across Australia. Directly comparable as a multi-site special education provider, particularly given St Edmund's serves students with sensory impairments.
• Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia): Australia's largest autism-specific service provider, operating a network of specialist schools for students on the autism spectrum. Directly comparable to St Edmund's because both serve school-aged students with autism and related disabilities in dedicated, specialised settings.

Others

• Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA): Governing body of St Edmund's and the broader network of Edmund Rice schools (including ERSES). Relevant as the parent entity and a peer at the network level for strategy, funding, and cross-school program benchmarking.
• Variety - the Children's Charity (NSW): Non-profit supporting children with disabilities through education, mobility, and learning grants. Comparable as a non-profit sector participant in the special needs education and disability support space, though not a direct school operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stedmundscollegewahroonga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stedmundscollegewahroonga
• Instagraminstagram.com/stedmundscollege.wahroonga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 St Edmund's College Wahroonga