Co-ed Catholic Jesuit-Loreto Mount Claremont, Perth Merged 1977

John XXIII College.

A 1977 merger of the Jesuit Saint Louis boys' school (1938) and the Loreto Convent girls' school (1897). Co-educational Catholic Ignatian formation, on a Mount Claremont campus since 1986.

Inside John XXIII

John XXIII College is the result of the 1977 merger of two long-running Perth Catholic schools: Saint Louis, a Jesuit boys' school first opened in 1938 across several campuses, and Loreto Convent, a girls' school founded by the Loreto Sisters in 1897. The new co-educational college took its name from Pope John XXIII and combined the Ignatian traditions of both founding orders.

After the merger, the school continued operating across the founding sites until it was relocated in 1986 to its present Mount Claremont campus. The site is now a Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 college, with the senior school building an explicit Ignatian framework around academics, service, and pastoral care.

John XXIII operates under the authority of the Catholic Archbishop of Perth and maintains strong ongoing links with both the Jesuit and Loreto orders. Those links are visible in the school's pilgrimage and immersion programs (some students travel as part of Ignatian formation experiences) and in the school's emphasis on service-based learning alongside academics.

What John XXIII is known for

Ignatian formation

The Jesuit-Loreto inheritance shapes the school's emphasis on cura personalis (care for the whole person), service, and discernment. Students consistently describe the school as values-led in a way that goes beyond a generic Catholic identity.

Co-educational Catholic option

Few Perth Catholic secondary schools are co-educational from K-12 with a strong religious-order foundation. John XXIII is one of the more academically rigorous options for Catholic families wanting co-ed.

Solid ATAR record

John XXIII consistently sits in the upper-middle band of WA Catholic schools by ATAR rate, with strong individual results across humanities and sciences.

Pilgrimage and immersion programs

The Jesuit and Loreto links enable senior students to participate in immersion pilgrimages, an unusual co-curricular feature among Perth schools.

Things to consider

John XXIII isn't the right fit for every student. Here are the genuine tradeoffs to think through, drawn from publicly available information about the school.

Catholic foundation, not optional

Religion is a curriculum subject, masses occur regularly, and the Catholic identity is central. For non-Catholic families this can be welcome or jarring; visit before assuming.

Independent Catholic fees

Fees are below the top PSA independents but still substantial. Sibling discounts and other support exist; check directly.

Mount Claremont location

North of the river. For families south of the Swan, the daily commute is significant.

Co-ed isn't always the right fit

Some students thrive in co-ed; others do better in single-sex. Worth considering honestly for your child.

The ATAR pathway at John XXIII

John XXIII students follow standard Catholic-school pathways. Most common: Pre-medicine (Methods + Chemistry + Human Bio + English, plus UCAT), Engineering / sciences (Methods + Specialist + Physics + Chemistry), Humanities / Law (Literature + History + Religion and Life + a Language), and Commerce (Methods + Economics + English + a humanity).

UWA is the dominant destination, with smaller cohorts at Notre Dame Fremantle (theology and arts), Curtin (commerce and engineering), and Catholic-run interstate universities (Australian Catholic University, ACU; some students enter Catholic seminaries internationally).

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From John XXIII to our Bentley centre

About 16 km from our Bentley centre and 22 minutes via Stirling Highway off-peak. Train + bus on the Fremantle line is workable for independent students.

Tutoring built for John XXIII students.

Small-group ATAR classes at our Bentley centre or live online, for the subjects John XXIII students are actually sitting. Free trial class, no card required.

John XXIII College questions

Common questions from John XXIII College families

How far is John XXIII College from Educatta's centres?

About 16 km from our Bentley centre and 22 minutes via Stirling Highway off-peak. Train + bus on the Fremantle line is workable for independent students.

Does Educatta tutor the subjects John XXIII College students typically take?

Yes. Educatta tutors all the major ATAR subjects John XXIII College students are sitting: Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Applications, English, Chemistry, Physics, and Human Biology. Year 11 and 12 students from John XXIII College can attend small-group classes at our Bentley centre, or live online from anywhere in WA.

Can John XXIII College students attend Educatta classes after school?

Yes. Most of our weekly classes run between 4:00pm and 8:30pm on weekdays, with weekend slots also available. John XXIII College's school day finishes in time for students to arrive at our Bentley centre for after-school weekly classes.