Selective high schools in NSW offer specialised education to high potential and gifted students in Years 7 to 12. Parents apply when their child is at the end of Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6.
There are 4 types of selective high schools in NSW:
- 17 fully selective high schools
- 25 partially selective high schools
- 4 agricultural high schools
- Aurora College (offering online classes for rural and remote students).
Partially selective schools have a mix of local area high school students who attend non-selective classes and students placed through the selective high school placement processes who attend selective classes together.
Agricultural high schools are selective high schools which emphasise the study of agriculture.
In NSW there are approximately 101,800 Year 6 students. Of these roughly 18% attempt the Selective High School Exam (18,500).
The selective school system offers a total of 4248 selective spots. Of these 20% are offered to underrepresented student cohorts.
This means entry to a selective high school is a very competitive process.
Applying for Selective High School
Applications are open from 7 November 2024 until 21 February 2025.
Parents can choose three schools. When choosing these schools you may consider the following:
- The subjects offered by the school, including languages
- Extra-curricular activities such as sport, music and creative activities
- Travel time
- Time to sport and other interests
- Investigating what the school is like by speaking to friends and other students
Note that selective schools do not offer visits to their schools before you apply. Open Days are only held once the offer has been made.
The Selective High School Exam 2025
The exam is scheduled for 2 – 4 May 2025 and will be done online. There is a make-up day on 19 May.
All tests will be held in multiple venues over the weekend. Tests will not take place in schools.
The test will be administered by Cambridge University Press & Assessment in partnership with education technology company Janison on behalf of the Department of Education.
Results will be released to parents in Term 3 2025.
For more information on the selective high school system in NSW please visit the Department’s website. Information changes regularly so it is recommended to keep an eye on the website.
