Select a year to see courses
In this High School Guide, we profile Penrith Selective High School - one of NSW's best performing schools.
Join 75,893 students who already have a head start.
"*" indicates required fields
Looking for a selective school in the Nepean, Western Sydney or Blue Mountains area? Are you already considering attending Penrith Selective High School? In this guide, we’ll discuss its history, admissions processes and cutoffs, and share some alumni success secrets. Read on to discover its history, famous alumni, key statistics, and HSC subjects offered.
In this guide, we provide detailed information that helps parents and students make an informed decision about applying to Penrith Selective High School.
Penrith Selective High School is a co-educational Academically Selective High School that was established in 1950.
Penrith Selective High School has performed consistently among the top schools in the HSC, ranking 27th in 2010, 2017 and 2018.
Penrith Selective High School was first opened in the 1930s as an intermediate school. The school’s location was then occupied by a mansion known as The Towers. Soon, the mansion was sold to the Department of Education which then the land became Penrith Selective High School. This was then officially established in 1950 and became an academically selective school in 1989.
Two of the original foundations of the mansion have been preserved in the school grounds and the original plaque commemorating the introduction of Penrith Intermediate School has been moved into the school grounds. This plaque is currently residing in the school’s archives. The annual school magazine is named The Towers in commemoration of The Towers mansion.
| Names | Contribution |
| Linda Burney | Former Member of the NSW Parliament for Canterbury, and current Member of the Australian Parliament for Barton |
| Joyce Fardell | Former teacher librarian |
| Tony Lauer | Former Commissioner of the New South Wales Police |
| Ognjen Matic | Australian handball player |
| Grigor Taylor | Actor, Matlock Police, Silent Number and Glenview High |
| Ray Watson | Judge who reformed family law to create no-fault divorce |
| Penelope Wensley | Former Governor of Queensland |
| Richard Wilson | Actor, The Proposition and Clubland |
How many students go to Penrith? What is the student population’s diversity like? How does it perform? Let’s take a look.
The total number of students were relatively consistent over the past 4 years, including the number of males and females.
| Year | Total Number of Students Enrolled | Males | Females |
| 2020 | 914 | 510 | 404 |
| 2019 | 916 | 525 | 391 |
| 2018 | 919 | 533 | 386 |
| 2017 | 924 | 530 | 394 |
| Year | Rank | B6/E4 Result | Unique B6/E4 Result | State Ranks | Success Rate (%) |
| 2020 | 37 | 274 | 119 | 1 | 29.69 |
| 2019 | 45 | 270 | 115 | 2 | 29.35 |
| 2018 | 27 | 297 | 121 | 1 | 31.80 |
| 2017 | 27 | 329 | 127 | 0 | 34.24 |
| Faculty | Subjects |
| English |
|
| Mathematics |
|
| Science |
|
| TAS |
|
| CAPA |
|
| Social Science |
|
| LOTE |
|
| History |
|
| PDHPE |
|
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.
