Entrance Requirements For James Ruse Agricultural High School | Schools Guide

Curious about the requirements for getting into James Ruse? In this article, we discuss the entrance requirements for James Ruse Agricultural High School so you can make an informed decision about applying to Sydney’s best performing High School.

How hard is it to get into James Ruse?

James Ruse has rigorous standards for admission. Most students enter Ruse in Year 7 having sat and excelled in the Selective Schools Admission Test.

In recent years, James Ruse has had the highest minimum entrance score out of all selective High Schools in NSW. The requirements for the past 5 years are in the table below:

Data for the minimum admission cutoffs for selective schools can be found, here. In past years, only an average of 1 out of 3 applicants has been accepted into a selective school.

Ruse accepts a small number of students transferring in from other schools in Years 8-11. The entrance requirements are similarly strict, requiring students to demonstrate high performance in their school subjects as well as resilience. Applicants are expected to be students who receive High Distinctions in Competitions and top bands in all categories of NAPLAN results.

Their application document states that:

External data becomes very important – Competition results are also very important – High Distinctions are considered average at JRAHS; Naplan results are considered – JRAHS students receive top bands in all categories.

Clearly, the bar is set high.

Entrance requirements for James Ruse Agricultural High School

There are differing requirements and processes for entering James Ruse at different stages. Let’s take a look at them.

Year 7

Up to 120 students are admitted in year 7 via the Selective High School Placement Test conducted in March every year. In order to be considered for entry in year 7, students must apply in November of year 5 and sit the Selective High School Placement Test the following year when they are in year 6.

You’ll find more detailed information about this process in the next part of this Guide, applying to James Ruse for Year 7 admission.

Years 8-10

Students can also enter the school in year 8 to 11 with a direct application to the school.

Only a few students are accepted in Year 8 to fill up the spaces that were not filled through the Selective Test process.

In years 9 and 10, students and their parents will need to sit an interview and provide evidence of educational excellence and resilience including competition results and leadership roles.

Year 11

Things are slightly different for students in Year 10 wishing to enter Year 11. To enter in Year 11, students will need to demonstrate the qualities above and sit an entrance exam. The student will be required to undertake the Edutest examination in addition to providing a portfolio and attending an internal interview.

For more information about the application process, read part 3 of this Guide, applying to James Ruse in years 8-11.