‘It’s like making the Olympic team’: Why James Ruse is still Sydney’s top school
James Ruse Agricultural High School has maintained its position as Sydney's top-performing public school based on average Higher School Certificate marks. The school's principal attributes this success to a collaborative culture and a focus on pedagogical development among staff.
Why it matters
The analysis highlights the ongoing debate regarding how academic performance is measured and the dominance of selective schools in the Australian education system.
Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
Share A A A Students at James Ruse Agricultural High recorded the highest average scores of any public school in the Higher School Certificate last year.
A Herald analysis of hundreds of public schools’ HSC results found James Ruse students’ average mark across all subjects was 91.3 last year, placing it just above students at North Sydney Boys and North Sydney Girls.
Selective schools dominated the top performers, taking out 19 of the top spots.
But several non-selective single-sex schools – including Willoughby Girls, Balgowlah Boys and Cheltenham Girls – outperformed several partially selective ones.
The Herald analysis uses precise average subject marks, contained in public high schools’ annual reports, across all subjects.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in