Catholic Education - Diocese Of Cairns

What Catholic Education - Diocese Of Cairns does

Catholic Education - Diocese of Cairns is the diocesan body responsible for administering Catholic pre-schools, primary schools, and secondary colleges within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia. Operating as a non-profit, the diocese runs 30 Catholic schools and colleges educating over 12,050 students across a geographic span from Tully in the south through the Atherton Tablelands to Waibeni (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait. Its core offering is Catholic education from Prep through Year 12, supplemented by specialist learning support services (EAL/D, gifted learners, students with disabilities, First Nations education), vocational education and training, languages, and safeguarding frameworks. The diocese is led by an Executive Director under the governance of the Bishop of Cairns (currently administered by Fr Kerry Crowley following Bishop James Foley's 2022 retirement after 30 years of service).

The business model is structured around a combination of parent fees (with discounts) and Australian federal and state government recurrent funding for non-government providers. Enrolment is direct: families apply through the diocesan website for placement at any of the 30 schools. Distribution is centralized through Catholic Education Services at 232 Mulgrave Rd, Westcourt, Cairns, with an online school finder and interactive map. Supporting technology includes the MyCE Parent Mobile App for family engagement, a Softlink-hosted online catalogue serving the Resource Centre for teacher-librarian and adult faith education resources, and standard ICT infrastructure across schools. Notable institutional assets include St Augustine's College Parramatta Park (Marist, established 1930) and Newman Catholic College Smithfield (opened January 2022), the first Catholic school in Australia co-located with James Cook University, with Stage Two construction underway from February 2023.

The diocese has actively expanded capacity: enrolments grew 4.8 percent year-on-year in 2023 to cross 12,000 for the first time, Newman Catholic College doubled in size within its first year, a new primary school at Kewarra Beach is planned for 2025 (subject to funding and approvals), and a secondary college is planned for Gordonvale by the end of the decade. The organization is headquartered in Cairns, Queensland, and reports between 1,001 and 5,000 employees. It is wholly owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns, with no private equity or public ownership involvement.

Name

Catholic Education - Diocese Of Cairns

Legal name

Catholic Education Services - Diocese of Cairns

Website

https://cns.catholic.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catholic Education - Diocese of Cairns is a non-profit diocesan body administering 30 Catholic schools and colleges across Far North Queensland, educating over 12,050 students from Prep to Year 12 under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Catholic Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

Keywords

• Catholic primary education
• Catholic secondary education
• Religious education
• Vocational education training
• Specialist learning support

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairns

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Catholic Education Services – Diocese of Cairns administers 30 Catholic schools and colleges delivering Prep to Year 12 education across Far North Queensland, combining academic, spiritual, moral and vocational learning. Core delivery includes Religious Education, VET, Languages, literacy/numeracy, specialist support for students with disabilities, gifted learners, EAL/D learners, and First Nations education, supported by the MyCE Parent Mobile App and a diocesan Resource Centre.

Product overview

Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns operates as an educational services organization administering 30 Catholic schools and colleges across Far North Queensland. The core offering is Catholic education services spanning Prep to Year 12, supplemented by the Resource Centre providing educational resources, and the MyCE Parent Mobile App for family engagement. Schools provide curriculum including Religious Education, VET, Languages, and specialist support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyCE Parent Mobile App: Mobile application for parents to engage with their children's Catholic education

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,050 students enrolled across 30 schools in 2023, representing first time over 12,000 milestone
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Anglican Schools Australia: Network of Anglican-affiliated K-12 schools offering a directly comparable faith-based alternative to Catholic schooling, including parish-connected schools with religious education programs.
• Lutheran Education Australia: National body for Lutheran schools in Australia, comparable as another faith-based K-12 school network operating schools with religious ethos and integrated curriculum.
• Catholic Schools NSW: State-level body overseeing Catholic education across NSW, much larger in scale but offering a directly comparable diocesan-to-system governance model and parallel curriculum/religious education framework.
• Independent Schools Queensland: Peak body representing non-government schools in Queensland including Catholic, Independent, and other faith-based schools, providing a sector-level comparability framework.
• Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM): Large archdiocesan Catholic education office operating primary and secondary schools across Melbourne with similar curriculum, parish integration, and funding mechanisms at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Queensland Department of Education: State government public school system operating across Queensland including Far North Queensland, the primary direct competitor for student enrolments in the same geographic catchment.

Direct peers

• Catholic Education Diocese of Townsville: Adjacent North Queensland Catholic diocese administering Catholic schools in the Townsville region, operating a directly comparable model of diocesan Catholic school governance and curriculum delivery.
• Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton: Neighboring Queensland Catholic diocese operating a similar network of Catholic primary and secondary schools across central Queensland with shared governance and funding structures.
• Brisbane Catholic Education: Operates the largest Catholic school system in Queensland, directly comparable as a diocesan Catholic education administrator running primary and secondary schools with similar funding model and curriculum framework.

Emerging players

• Edmund Rice Education Australia: Catholic educational network operating schools with a justice-focused ethos, comparable as a faith-based school administrator with similar values-driven education model, though with smaller footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-education-diocese-of-cairns

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Catholic Education - Diocese Of Cairns