UPDATE: Read our 2017 report on Selective Schools cut off marks and rankings here.
Recently, we shared a blog post regarding the 2015 High School Rankings based off the results from the Higher School Certificate. How do these results compare to the Selective School entry cut off marks in 2015?
Often many parents and students alike are confused as to what is the cut off mark for selective schools, and how that differs from the selective schools rank. What is the minimum score? Well it’s the lowest scoring student to accept a place there. Therefore, if there is a school your child wishes to attend on this list, it can give you a guideline to the lowest mark they can obtain and still receive an offer from the school.
Whilst the cut off mark is a good measure of the potential standard of education your child could receive, some schools that have a higher rank may in fact have a less competitive cut off mark!
| 2015 Ranking | School | 2015 Cut off Entry Score |
| 6 | Baulkham Hills High School | 235 |
| 1 | James Ruse Agricultural High School | 230 |
| 3 | Sydney Girls High School | 223 |
| 4 | North Sydney Boys High Schoo | 221 |
| 5 | Sydney Boys High School | 220 |
| 2 | North Sydney Girls High School | 219 |
| 31 | Fort Street High School | 216 |
| 7 | Hornsby Girls High School | 216 |
| 25 | Normanhurst Boys High School | 214 |
| 8 | Girraween High School | 210 |
| 14 | Northern Beaches Secondary College (Manly Campus) | 206 |
| 23 | Hurlstone Agricultural High School (Day) | 205 |
| 22 | St George Girls High School | 202 |
| 29 | Penrith High School | 199 |
| 73 | Chatswood High School | 198 |
| 36 | Caringbah High School | 197 |
| 52 | Sefton High School | 197 |
| 39 | Sydney Technical High School | 197 |
| 185 | Parramatta High School | 193 |
| 123 | Ryde Secondary College | 191 |
| 85 | Tempe High School | 190 |
| n/a | Sydney Secondary College (Leichhardt Campus) | 185 |
| 110 | Alexandria Park Community School | 182 |
| 41 | Gosford High School | 182 |
| 40 | Smiths Hill High School | 182 |
| 428 | Blacktown Girls High School | 180 |
| 42 | Merewether High School | 180 |
| 310 | Blacktown Boys High School | 179 |
| n/a | Sydney Secondary College (Balmain Campus) | 179 |
| 146 | Macquarie Fields High School | 178 |
| 122 | Prairiewood High School | 175 |
| 119 | Rose Bay Secondary College | 174 |
| 140 | Moorebank High School | 173 |
| 318 | Bonnyrigg High School | 170 |
| n/a | Virtual selective school (Aurora College) | 170 |
| 525 | Gorokan High School | 162 |
| 355 | Karabar High School | 162 |
| 229 | Duval High School | 161 |
| 272 | Elizabeth Macarthur High School | 161 |
| 439 | Grafton High School | 161 |
| 532 | Granville Boys High School | 161 |
| 451 | Kooringal High School | 161 |
| 359 | Armidale High School | 160 |
| 455 | Auburn Girls High School | 160 |
| 514 | Peel High School | 160 |
*Scoure: DET NSW
Choosing Selective Schools
When comparing to our last blog post, it’s clear to say that despite lower entry cut off marks of some schools, they outperform their peers when it comes to Higher School Certificate results. Likewise, some schools may have higher cut off marks but perform worse off than schools with easier entry marks. Therefore parents, when you consider listing your preferences and choices for selective schools, it’s important to look beyond just the entry cut off mark as a measure.
Always make sure to consider other factors including the school’s recent Higher School Certificate Results, curriculum offered at the school as well as extra-curricular activities, amongst other factors such as ease of travel and convenience of location.
Want to find out more about how your child can get into a selective school?
