2024 NSW SELECTIVE TEST: Most Common Questions Answered

Types of Selective Schools: Key Numbers

Fully Selective High Schools: There are 17 schools where all classes are designed for academically gifted students.

Agricultural High Schools: These 4 schools are fully selective, with a specialised curriculum focused on agriculture.

Partially Selective High Schools: In New South Wales, there are 25 schools offering a mix of selective and non-selective classes. In these schools, only one or two classes are academically selective, while the rest cater to local students without selective criteria.

 Aurora College – The Virtual Classroom: This unique offering provides a selective class environment for students in rural and remote areas, accessible through 182 approved host schools. Here, selective class students primarily engage in English, mathematics, and science courses separately, while integrating with non-selective peers for other subjects.

Here’s a full breakdown with the numbers of seats available at each school:

Fully Selective High Schools – Coeducational

1. Baulkham Hills High School – 180 places
2. Caringbah High School – 150 places
3. Fort Street High School – 150 places
4. Girraween High School – 120 places
5. Gosford High School – 180 places
6. Manly Campus, Northern Beaches Secondary College – 120 places
7. Merewether High School – 180 places
8. Penrith High School – 150 places
9. Smiths Hill High School – 120 places

Fully Selective High Schools – Male

1. Normanhurst Boys High School – 120 places
2. North Sydney Boys High School – 150 places
3. Sydney Boys High School – 180 places
4. Sydney Technical High School – 150 places

Fully Selective High Schools – Female

1. Hornsby Girls High School – 120 places
2. North Sydney Girls High School – 150 places
3. St George Girls High School – 150 places
4. Sydney Girls High School – 150 places

Partially Selective High Schools

1. Alexandria Park Community School – 30 places
2. Armidale Secondary College – 30 places
3. Auburn Girls High School – 30 places
4. Balmain Campus, Sydney Secondary College – 60 places
5. Blacktown Boys High School – 30 places
6. Blacktown Girls High School – 30 places
7. Blackwattle Bay Campus, Sydney Secondary College – Not available
8. Bonnyrigg High School – 60 places
9. Chatswood High School – 60 places
10. Elizabeth Macarthur High School – 60 places
11. Gorokan High School – 30 places
12. Grafton High School – 30 places
13. Granville Boys High School – 30 places
14. Karabar High School – 30 places
15. Kooringal High School – 30 places
16. Leichhardt Campus, Sydney Secondary College – 60 places
17. Macquarie Fields High School – 90 places
18. Moorebank High School – 60 places
19. Parramatta High School – 60 places
20. Peel High School – 30 places
21. Prairiewood High School – 60 places
22. Richmond High School – 30 places
23. Rose Bay Secondary College – 60 places
24. Ryde Secondary College – 60 places
25. Sefton High School – 88 places
26. Tempe High School – 60 places

Agricultural High School – Day Places Only Coeducational

1. James Ruse Agricultural High School – 120 places

Agricultural High School – Boarder Places Only Coeducational

1. Yanco Agricultural High School (Female boarder) – 30 places
2. Yanco Agricultural High School (Male boarder) – 30 places

Agricultural High School – Boarder and Day Places Male Only

1. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School (Male boarder) – 60 places
2. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School (Male day) – 50 places

Agricultural High School – Boarder and Day Places Coeducational

1. Hurlstone Agricultural High School (Female boarder) – 15 places
2. Hurlstone Agricultural High School (Male boarder) – 15 places
3. Hurlstone Agricultural High School (Day students) – 120 places

Virtual Selective High School

1. Aurora College – 90 places

Note: Specific conditions apply to some schools, such as targeted places for Aboriginal students and dual campus delivery for Richmond Agricultural College. Only students in rural government high schools may apply for Aurora College.

What Is the Eligibility?

To be eligible for Year 7 entry in 2025, students should be in Year 6  at the time of the selective test in 2024. If a child doesn’t fit this age or grade profile, parents must provide a valid reason for consideration. The selection committee may request further details for such applications.

Students already in Year 7 during the test are only eligible for the following year’s Year 7 placement under specific, justifiable circumstances. This requires thorough documentation, including the backing of the school principal.

For acceleration cases, the selection committee expects evidence of the student’s exceptional ability, demonstrated through a high placement test score and consultation with the current school principal. Typically, only a small fraction of students (1 in 200) demonstrate the aptitude for acceleration in all subjects.

Students must be residents of New South Wales by the start of their entry school year and must hold Australian citizenship, permanent residency, or New Zealand citizenship.

How To Pick Suitable Selective Schools

When applying, students can choose up to three selective high schools, which should be listed in order of preference. It’s important to prioritise wisely, as students qualifying for multiple schools will only receive an offer from their top eligible choice.

Students may also find themselves on a waitlist for their first choice while receiving an offer for their second or third choice. However, declining the highest offer to opt for a lower choice is not permissible.

Once placement outcomes are announced, changing the listed choices is generally not allowed, except under extraordinary circumstances that are well-documented and approved by the High Performing Students Team.

In making your selections, consider these factors:

>  Choose only schools that genuinely interest you or your child.

>  Take into account the practicality of transport and commute times. Note that these factors are not considered in the selection process, except for boarder agricultural high schools and Aurora College.

>  If applying for a boarding placement at an agricultural high school, be prepared with additional documents, medical reports, and boarding fee arrangements.

>  If considering the Conservatorium High School, you may also choose three additional selective high schools.

>  Remember, while tuition is typically free (excluding boarding situations), schools might request voluntary contributions for supplementary services and materials, including specific academic subjects, sports programs, and field trips.

Need help navigating the NSW Selective Test 2024 and NSW Selective Test 2025? Reach out here: https://scholarlytraining.com/whatsapp