Part 1: Choosing a Selective School That’s Right for My Child

How do you know if you’re choosing a Selective School that’s right for your child? In the Selective School Application (which we will talk about in the next section), you must choose 3 Selective Schools.

Choosing a Selective School that’s right for your child

There are 4 key considerations you may wish to take into account when deciding which 3 schools are the best for your child.

Consideration #1: Type of Selective Schools

Here is a quick table that demonstrates which Selective School may be the best for your child according to what you might value:

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Consideration #2: Single-sex Schools vs Co-ed Selective Schools

In NSW, single-sex schools tend to outperform co-ed schools in the HSC. However, whether this is due to a single-sex environment is uncertain. Here are some pros and cons of single-sex high schools you may wish to take into consideration.

Consideration #3: HSC Ranking and Selective School Entry Scores

The end goal for most parents is for their child to do well in the HSC, which would allow them to pursue a wide range of professions at a prestigious university.

In the past, families often relied on minimum entry scores to choose Selective Schools. However, these scores have not been officially published since 2021.

That said, historical scores can still provide useful context. Generally, schools with stronger HSC results also had higher entry cut-offs. There are exceptions—Chatswood, Parramatta, and Alexandria Park are partially selective schools that previously had relatively high entry scores despite lower HSC rankings.

Important! While these scores are outdated, they remain a helpful reference for understanding school competitiveness. Here’s the last available table of minimum entry scores:

Consideration #4: Location and choosing a Selective School in your area

While Selective Schools have no catchment area, you may want to consider how long it takes for your child to get to school every day. Keep in mind that in high school, students can have after-school activities til 7pm. If your child lives an hour away from school, this can take a serious toll on their studies or it might discourage them from participating in extra-curricular activities.

We have included a few maps so you can see which Selective Schools are near you.

Sydney Metropolitan Area

Sydney North

Sydney South

Sydney West

How do we apply?

Now that you have picked the 3 best Selective Schools for your child, find out how you can apply!