Selective High Schools — All NSW Selective Schools & Places (2027 Entry)
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A comprehensive guide to all selective high schools in New South Wales. Explore schools by type and location, understand available places for boys and girls, and find the right selective school for your child.
TL;DR
- There are 48 selective high schools listed for Year 7 entry, plus Aurora College for eligible rural and remote students
- 4,338 places are available across NSW for Year 7 entry in 2027
- Schools fall into four types: fully selective (17 schools), partially selective (27 schools), agricultural (4 schools), and Aurora College (online, 100 places)
- Each co-educational school has separate place numbers for boys and girls
- You can list up to 3 school preferences on your application
- You can apply to selective schools outside your local enrolment area
What schools offer selective placement in NSW
Selective high schools are for high potential and gifted students in Years 7 to 12. For Year 7 entry, parents apply when their child is at the end of Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6. There are four types of selective high school:
Fully selective high schools
Only high potential and gifted students can be enrolled through the selective application process. There are 17 fully selective high schools in NSW.
Partially selective high schools
These schools have both local comprehensive students and selective classes. Selective students take separate English, mathematics and science classes. There are 27 partially selective high schools for Year 7 entry.
Agricultural high schools
Selective schools with an agricultural focus. Agriculture is compulsory from Years 7 to 10. Four agricultural high schools offer day and/or boarding places — see the full list below for details.
Aurora College
Online selective classes for eligible rural and remote students. Students attend a local host high school and join Aurora College online for English, mathematics and science. There are 100 Aurora College places (50 for boys and 50 for girls) for Year 7 entry.
You can apply to fully selective, partially selective and agricultural selective high schools outside your local enrolment area.
Available places
There are 4,338 places available in selective high schools across NSW for entry to Year 7 in 2027. Each co-educational selective high school has a set number of places for boys and girls, listed in the table below.
When applying for selective placement, you can list up to 3 schools in order of preference. Consider:
- The number of available places at each school
- Whether the school is fully or partially selective
- Commute time and transport reliability
- Co-educational, boys-only or girls-only setting
- Boarding or day-place requirements for agricultural schools
The NSW Department of Education also holds up to 20% of places at each school for students from under-represented groups through the Equity Placement Model. See Fair access on the NSW Department of Education website.
All selective high schools in NSW
The complete list of 48 selective high schools with Year 7 places for 2027 entry. Place numbers are from the NSW Department of Education and shown separately for boys and girls. Aurora College (100 places) is listed separately above — it uses host schools across rural and remote NSW rather than a single campus.
All selective high schools (48)
| Name | Places available | address | HSC 2025 Rank | Percentage | Students | Exams Sat | DA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexandria Park Community School Partial | 15 | Park Road, Alexandria | #193 | 9.8% | 72 | 359 | 35 |
Armidale Secondary College Partial | 15 | Crest Road, Armidale | — | — | 4 | — | 5 |
Auburn Girls High School Partial | 30 | Hunter Street and Braemar Ave, Auburn | — | — | 17 | — | 26 |
Baulkham Hills High School Full | 90 | Windsor Road, Baulkham Hills | #7 | 51.5% | 205 | 1209 | 623 |
Blacktown Boys High School Partial | 30 | Sunnyholt Road & Fifth Ave, Blacktown | #246 | 6.8% | 91 | 469 | 32 |
Blacktown Girls High School Partial | 30 | Fifth Avenue, Blacktown | — | — | 39 | — | 68 |
Bonnyrigg High School Partial | 30 | Elizabeth Drive, Bonnyrigg | — | — | 48 | — | 74 |
Caringbah High School Full | 75 | Willarong Road, Caringbah | #32 | 34.4% | 152 | 876 | 301 |
Chatswood High School Partial | 30 | Centennial Avenue, Chatswood | #66 | 24.1% | 288 | 1526 | 368 |
Elizabeth Macarthur High School Partial | 30 | Waterworth Drive, Narellan Vale | — | — | 21 | — | 75 |
Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School Agricultural | 50 day places; 60 boarding places | 585 Calala Lane, Tamworth | — | — | 8 | — | 13 |
Fort Street High School Full | 75 | Parramatta Road, Petersham | #20 | 40.2% | 158 | 898 | 361 |
Girraween High School Full | 60 | Gilba Road, Girraween | #27 | 37.8% | 140 | 801 | 303 |
Gorokan High School Partial | 15 | Goobarabah Ave, Gorokan | — | — | 2 | — | 2 |
Gosford High School Full | 90 | Racecourse Road, Gosford | #34 | 33.8% | 165 | 993 | 336 |
Grafton High School Partial | 15 | Oliver & Mary Streets, Grafton | — | — | 10 | — | 14 |
Granville Boys High School Partial | 30 | 14 Mary Street, Granville | — | — | 11 | — | 16 |
Hornsby Girls High School Full | 120 | Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby | #8 | 51.1% | 122 | 711 | 363 |
Hurlstone Agricultural High School Agricultural | 75 day places; 15 boarding places; 75 day places; 15 boarding places | Roy Watts Road, Glenfield | #44 | 29.4% | 182 | 1041 | 306 |
James Ruse Agricultural High School Agricultural | 60 | 17–31 Felton Road, Carlingford | #2 | 70.4% | 158 | 1001 | 705 |
Karabar High School Partial | 15 | Donald Road, Queanbeyan | — | — | 6 | — | 6 |
Kooringal High School Partial | 15 | Ziegler Avenue, Kooringal | — | — | 11 | — | 17 |
Leppington High School (PROV) Partial | 15 | Rickard Rd, Leppington | — | — | — | — | — |
Macquarie Fields High School Partial | 45 | Harold Street, Macquarie Fields | #175 | 10.9% | 169 | 933 | 102 |
Merewether High School Full | 90 | Chatham Street, Broadmeadow | #22 | 38.7% | 180 | 1041 | 403 |
Moorebank High School Partial | 30 | Bangalow Avenue, Moorebank | — | — | 21 | — | 43 |
Normanhurst Boys High School Full | 120 | Pennant Hills Road, Normanhurst | #5 | 57.7% | 124 | 750 | 433 |
North Sydney Boys High School Full | 150 | Falcon Street, Crows Nest | #1 | 71.6% | 156 | 926 | 663 |
North Sydney Girls High School Full | 150 | Pacific Highway, Crows Nest | #4 | 60.5% | 155 | 908 | 549 |
Northern Beaches Secondary College, Manly campus Full | 60 | Abbott Road, North Curl Curl | #26 | 38.0% | 128 | 784 | 298 |
Parramatta High School Partial | 30 | Great Western Hwy & Pitt St, Parramatta | #96 | 19.4% | 185 | 1023 | 198 |
Peel High School Partial | 15 | Gunnedah Road, Tamworth | — | — | 3 | — | 4 |
Penrith High School Full | 75 | High Street, Penrith | #17 | 41.7% | 158 | 917 | 382 |
Prairiewood High School Partial | 30 | Prairie Vale Road, Wetherill Park | #160 | 12.1% | 181 | 959 | 116 |
Richmond Agricultural College Partial | 15 | Vines Drive, Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Campus and 140 Lennox Street, Richmond | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
Rose Bay Secondary College Partial | 30 | Hardy Street, Dover Heights | #95 | 19.4% | 186 | 979 | 190 |
Ryde Secondary College Partial | 30 | Malvina Street, Ryde | #146 | 13.3% | 218 | 1160 | 154 |
Sefton High School Partial | 44 | Hector Street, Sefton | #81 | 21.5% | 177 | 957 | 206 |
Smiths Hill High School Full | 60 | Gipps Street, Wollongong | #64 | 24.6% | 133 | 751 | 185 |
St George Girls High School Full | 150 | Victoria Street, Kogarah | #46 | 29.0% | 155 | 858 | 249 |
Sydney Boys High School Full | 180 | Cleveland Street, Moore Park, Surry Hills | #6 | 54.2% | 212 | 1205 | 653 |
Sydney Girls High School Full | 180 | Anzac Parade, Surry Hills | #13 | 44.2% | 167 | 999 | 442 |
Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus Partial | 30 | Terry Street, Rozelle | Years 7–10 only — no HSC cohort | ||||
Sydney Secondary College, Blackwattle Bay Campus Partial | — | Taylor St, Glebe | #129 | 15.0% | 339 | 1765 | 264 |
Sydney Secondary College, Leichhardt Campus Partial | 30 | Balmain Road, Leichhardt | Years 7–10 only — no HSC cohort | ||||
Sydney Technical High School Full | 150 | Forest Road, Bexley | #47 | 28.6% | 150 | 817 | 234 |
Tempe High School Partial | 30 | Unwins Bridge Road, Tempe | #252 | 6.6% | 157 | 828 | 55 |
Yanco Agricultural High School Agricultural | 30 | Euroley Road, Yanco | — | — | 2 | — | 3 |
Places data: NSW Department of Education — Selective high schools. HSC 2025 rank, percentage, students, exams sat and DA from Better Education (2025 HSC rankings), shown where available. Sydney Secondary College Balmain and Leichhardt campuses are Years 7–10 only, so they have no HSC cohort. Alexandria Park, Rose Bay and Tempe have targeted places for Aboriginal students.
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