Below is a list of selective and agricultural high schools run by the NSW Department of Education. Entry to these schools is managed by the department's Selective High School and Opportunity Class Placement Unit. In years before, prospective students sit the Selective High School Test during May when students are in Year 6 (in former years March) and are allocated places at selective schools according to their profile mark, which is out of 300, which comprises both exam and school marks, however there is no more marks being provided to applicants. Students may list up to three preferred selective or agricultural high schools they wish to enter.
A number of other government and non-government high schools also select their students based on merit; these include, for example, creative and performing arts schools, and also some private schools.
1 Previously known as Manly Boys High School (1954–1983) and Manly High School (1983–2002).
2 Year of amalgamation of Dover Heights High School and Vaucluse High School.
3 Previously known as Malvina High School (1965–2001) and foundation year for selective stream.
The New South Wales Department of Education operates creative and performing arts high schools in communities throughout the state for students who wish to work with creative arts when they grow up. These schools aim to foster excellence in creative arts fields while teaching the same core syllabus as other state-run high schools and are accorded a high degree of autonomy by the department in selecting students and teaching staff. The schools boast specialised facilities and equipment and competition for places is acute.
| School | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Campbelltown Performing Arts High School | Campbelltown | 7–12 |
| Conservatorium High School | Sydney central business district | 7–12 |
| Granville South Creative and Performing Arts High School | Guildford | 7–12 |
| Hunter School of the Performing Arts | Broadmeadow | 3–12 |
| Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School | Northmead | 7–12 |
| Ku-ring-gai High School | North Turramurra | 7–12 |
| Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School | Penrith | 7–12 |
| Newtown High School of the Performing Arts | Newtown | 7–12 |
| Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts | Fairy Meadow | 7–12 |
The New South Wales Department of Education operates seven specialist sports high schools in local communities across New South Wales. [1] Each of the schools deliver a comprehensive education to local students and, by application and, based on merit and talent, students are selected to participate in each school's talented sports program.
| School | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Endeavour Sports High School | Caringbah | 7–12 |
| Hills Sports High School | Seven Hills | 7–12 |
| Hunter Sports High School | Gateshead | 7–12 |
| Illawarra Sports High School | Berkeley | 7–12 |
| Matraville Sports High School | Chifley | 7–12 |
| Narrabeen Sports High School | North Narrabeen | 7–12 |
| Westfields Sports High School | Fairfield | 7–12 |
Merewether High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in the suburb of Broadmeadow in the city of Newcastle, Australia. It was established in 1977 following the merger of Newcastle Technical High School and Cooks Hill Girls High School. The school is named in honour of Edward Merewether, a prominent businessman and civil servant in the Colony of New South Wales who later became the Superintendent of the Australian Agricultural Company in Newcastle.
Baulkham Hills High School is a government-funded academically selective co-educational secondary school. It lies within Baulkham Hills in the Hills District of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Normanhurst Boys High School is a single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the suburb of Normanhurst, New South Wales, Australia. Consistently ranked as one of the nation's top schools academically, it was ranked seventh in the state based on Higher School Certificate (HSC) results in 2020.
Gosford High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Gosford, in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Chatswood High School is a government-funded co-educational bi-modal partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in Chatswood, a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Its campus is situated on extensive grounds at Centennial Avenue on the former Carr-Horden estate and is surrounded by remnant bushland.
The Northern Beaches Secondary College is a multi-campus government-funded co-educational dual-modality partially selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Rose Bay Secondary College (RBSC) is a government-funded co-educational dual modality partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in Dover Heights, an eastern Sydney suburb of New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales Department of Education established the college in 2003 as a result of the merger of Dover Heights and Vaucluse high schools.
The Campbelltown Performing Arts High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school with speciality in performing arts, located in Campbelltown, a suburb in south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school with speciality in performing arts, located in Fairy Meadow, a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Ku-ring-gai High School, formerly Ku-ring-gai Creative Arts High School (1996–2016), is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school with a speciality in creative and performing arts. The school is located in North Turramurra, on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is set on 10 hectares and located adjacent to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
The Conservatorium High School is a public government-funded, co-educational, selective, secondary day school that specialises in music education. It lies on the western edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens, off Macquarie Street, in Sydney's CBD.
Penrith Selective High School (PSHS) is a public co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Penrith, in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1950 and operated by the NSW Department of Education, the school caters for approximately 925 students from Year 7 to Year 12.
Selective schools in New South Wales, Australia are government high schools operated by the New South Wales Department of Education that accept their students based upon their academic merit.
The Freshwater Senior Campus of Northern Beaches Secondary College is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive senior secondary day school, located in Curl Curl, a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The Manly Selective Campus of the Northern Beaches Secondary College is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in North Curl Curl, a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The Balgowlah Boys Campus of Northern Beaches Secondary College is a government-funded single-sex comprehensive secondary day school for boys only, located in Balgowlah, a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school with speciality in performing arts, located in Emu Plains, a suburb in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is located adjacent to the Emu Plains railway station.
Illawarra Sports High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school, with speciality in sports, located in Berkeley, a southern suburb of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Narara Valley High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Narara, in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
| Fully selective high schools | |
|---|---|
| Partially selective high schools | |
| Selective agricultural high schools | |
| Selective creative and performing arts primary [note a] and high schools |
|
| Specialist sports high schools | |
