North Sydney Girls High School Overview | High School Guides

Read this Guide to see if North Sydney Girls High School is for you!

Written by:
Matrix Education
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Are you in search of the right selective school for your child? In this North Sydney Girls High School Guide, we will discuss the history of the school, famous alumni, key HSC statistics, the HSC subjects offered by the school.

 

North Sydney Girls High School Overview

We’ve created this Guide to provide information to parents and students so they can make an informed decision about applying for North Sydney Girls.

 

This guide includes additional articles discussing:

  • Admission requirements and process
  • Applying to North Sydney Girls for Year 7 admission
  • How to enrol at North Sydney Girls in Years 8-11
  • Student Life at North Sydney Girls
  • Success Secrets from North Sydney Girls Students and Alumni

In this overview article, we will discuss:

 

Overview

North Sydney Girls High School is a fully academic selective school located in Crows Nest.

It has consistently achieved a rank in the Top 10 NSW schools based on HSC results. Most of their students achieve an ATAR rank of 95 and above, with around 20-30% of their students achieving an ATAR of 99+.

Ad altiora (towards higher things) is their school motto, representing their strive for excellence.

Most of the students gain entrance into Year 7 through the Selective High School Test, whereas, a smaller portion are allowed to transfer in after Years 8-11.

 

History

North Sydney Girls was established in 1914 with 194 girls. It was originally located on the corner of Hazelbank Road and the Pacific Highway. However, due to increased enrolments, the school was overcrowding. And so, when Crows Nest Boys High School closed, the girls were finally transferred to a new site that was able to accomodate their educational needs in 1993. The former boys’ school had expansive and refurbished buildings. This allowed for more subjects and new enrolments.

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Source: NSW State Archives North Sydney Girls High School – Education Week 1954. Play Day

 

Famous alumni

Curious to see who you recognise from North Sydney Girls High School?

Here is the list of some of North Sydney Girl’s famous alumni in science, public service, sports, arts, and entertainment!

 

Science and public service

AlumniContribution
Dame Valerie BeralBreast cancer epidemiologist

Head of Cancer Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University

One of the leaders of the Million Woman Study – investigated a woman’s reproductive history and effects on health in 1.3 million UK women.

Anna Katherine DonaldPioneer in Evidence-based medicine and epidemiology

2nd woman in NSW to win the Rhodes Scholarship (1989) – International Postgraduate award for students to study at University of Oxford

Verity FirthChief Executive Officer of the Public Education Foundation in Australia

Former NSW Minister for Education and Training

Former member for NSW Legislative Assembly seat of Balmain

Justice Lucy McCallumJudge of the Supreme Court of NSW
Nancy Grace Augusta WakeResistance fighter in WWII (aka the ‘White Mouse’)

Nurse and journalist

 

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Sports

 Alumni Contribution
 Elise Simone Ashton (née Norwood) Olympic water polo player (Gold, 2002 Manchester)

 

Entertainment and the arts

 AlumniContribution
Dame Janet RittermanDirector of the Royal College of Music in London from 1993 to 2005

Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2002 for her contributions to music

Nicole KidmanActress; the Hours, Batman Forever, Aquaman, Days of Thunder, Paddington etc.

Producer; The Family Fang, Monte Carlo, Rabbit Hole etc.

Voice actor and singer; Happy Feet

Awards; Won Academy Awards, British Academy Film Award, Pimetime Emmy Awards, Satellite Awards, Golden Globe Awards etc.

Naomi WattsActress and film producer; For Love Alone, Home and Away, The Ring, King Kong etc.
Benita CollingsActress; Play School host (1969-1999), The Godfathers, The Rovers etc.
Lucy MaunderCabaret, musical theatre performer, actor; Doctor Zhivago (lead role), Noel and Gertie, Into the Woods etc.

Won the Glug Award for Best Actor in Musical Theatre (female) in 2013.

Catherine MartinCostume designer, production designer, set designer, film producer; The Great Gatsby, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge etc.

Nominated for Oscar for best Achievement in Costume Design for Australia in 2009. 

Janet PattersonCostume Design; Bright Star, The Portrait of a Lady, The Piano etc.

Production Design; Bright Star, Holy Smoke!, The Last Days of Chez Nous etc. 

WengieYouTuber; 14.2 million subscribers and 1.6 billion views as of September 2020

Singer; Deja vu, Empire, Ugly Christmas Sweater etc.

Voice actress; Powerpuff Girls

Ceridwen DoveyAuthor; Blood Kin, Only the Animals, In the Garden of Fugitives etc.

Won the 2014 Readings new Australian Writing Award and People’s Choice for Fiction Award

 

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Key Statistics

Let’s take a look at North Sydney Girl’s key statistics, including the number of students and their HSC performance.

 

Student profile

The total number of students enrolled in North Sydney Girls High School has been relatively consistent.

YearTotal Number of StudentsFemalesMales
20199089080
20189139130
20179189180
20169179170

 

HSC Performance

Here is a snapshot of North Sydney Girl’s consistent success over the years. A high number of North Sydney Girls High School are ‘all rounders’ in the HSC exams (achieved a B6/E4 in 10 or more units), and some also achieve state ranks.

YearRankB6/E4 resultsUnique B6/E4 studentsState ranksSuccess Rate (%)
202045411391058.68
20197506151754.7
20186477154750.0
20178472154451.2
201645011561452.4

Note: Unsure about what these terms mean? Well, if you want to learn more about what high school rankings, including what Unique B6/E4 students and success rates mean, check out our Beginner’s Guide to High School Rankings.

 

 

HSC Subjects offered

Accelerated subjects

Accelerated subjects are HSC subjects completed before Year 12. This means students often begin learning Preliminary content in Year 10 and complete their HSC in Year 11.

At North Sydney Girls High School, they only offer two accelerated subjects.

Accelerated by 1 year (complete HSC in Year 11
  • Legal Studies (students must complete elective Commerce in Year 9)
  • Society and Culture (students must complete elective History in Year 9)

 

Non-accelerated subjects

These subjects are typically not offered for accelerated students.

Faculty Subject
English
  • Mathematics
  • Mathematics Extension 1
  • Mathematics Extension 2
Maths
  • English Advanced (Compulsory)
  • English Extension 1
  • English Extension 2
Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Biology
  • Personal Development/Health/Physical Education
Creative arts and Performance
  • Photography
  • Visual Arts
  • Music
Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE)
  • Geography
  • Economics
  • Society and Culture
  • Modern History
  • Ancient History
  • Philosophy
Languages 
  • Italian (Beginners)
  • French (Continuers)
  • Japanese (Continuers)
  • Latin (Continuers)
Industrial Arts 
  • Textiles and Design
  • Food Technology

 

 

Source:

Most of the information is sourced from the NSW Department of Education: North Sydney Girls High School website.

 

Written by Matrix Education

Matrix is Sydney's No.1 High School Tuition provider. Come read our blog regularly for study hacks, subject breakdowns, and all the other academic insights you need.

© Matrix Education and www.matrix.edu.au, 2023. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matrix Education and www.matrix.edu.au with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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