SECONDARY students at Cairns School of Distance Education are proof that studying in remote parts of the Far North is not a barrier to high achievement, a new online education report card shows.

The public school’s secondary students were top in the Far North for spelling and they also ranked among the top five schools for numeracy, reading, grammar and punctuation in recent years.

The NAPLAN tests assess students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy.

Cairns School of Distance Education principal Andrew Oliver was impressed that his secondary pupils ranked third overall across the five study areas in the Far North – the only public school in the top five.

"It was a pleasant surprise and a vindication for the hard work of our teaching staff and students," he said.

"It proves that distance is no barrier."

Mr Oliver said the absence of a classroom setting encourages remote students to establish independent study goals and they also receive individual attention.

"It highlights the extremely valuable relationships we have between our students, home tutors and teachers," he said.

The Queensland Schools Guide provides an unprecedented insight into educational facilities, including information on student improvement scores, attendance rates, the number of teachers per student and capital expenditure per student.

- To use the guide, go to www.couriermail.com.au/schoolsguide

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