North Sydney Boys High School was the top-ranked school in NSW in the 2025 HSC, its third year in a row at number one, with 71.6% of its HSC exam results in the top band. James Ruse Agricultural High School was second (70.4%) and still produced the most perfect 99.95 ATARs in the state: nine students. Seven of the top ten schools in NSW were government selective schools.
This guide ranks every NSW fully selective high school by 2025 HSC results, lists the partially selective schools that appear in the rankings, and explains what the numbers do and don't tell you.
How NSW schools are ranked
NSW doesn't publish an official school league table. The rankings used by media and coaching colleges are built from the NESA Distinguished Achievers list, which names every student who achieved a Band 6 (or E4 in Extension courses), the top band in an HSC course.
Each school's success rate is its number of Band 6 and E4 results divided by its total HSC exam entries. A school with a 50% success rate earned a top-band result in half of all the HSC exams its students sat.
Fully selective schools ranked (2025 HSC)
| NSW rank | School | Location | Success rate | Band 6/E4 results | 2024 rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Sydney Boys High School | Crows Nest | 71.6% | 663 | 1 |
| 2 | James Ruse Agricultural High School | Carlingford | 70.4% | 705 | 2 |
| 4 | North Sydney Girls High School | Crows Nest | 60.5% | 549 | n/a |
| 5 | Normanhurst Boys High School | Normanhurst | 57.7% | 433 | n/a |
| 6 | Sydney Boys High School | Surry Hills | 54.2% | 653 | 9 |
| 7 | Baulkham Hills High School | Baulkham Hills | 51.5% | 623 | 6 |
| 8 | Hornsby Girls High School | Hornsby | 51.1% | 363 | 7 |
| 13 | Sydney Girls High School | Surry Hills | 44.2% | 442 | 17 |
| 17 | Penrith Selective High School | Penrith | 41.7% | 382 | 30 |
| 20 | Fort Street High School | Petersham | 40.2% | 361 | 28 |
| 22 | Merewether High School | Broadmeadow | 38.7% | 403 | 29 |
| 25 | Northern Beaches SC, Manly Campus | North Curl Curl | 38.0% | 298 | 15 |
| 26 | Girraween High School | Girraween | 37.8% | 303 | 32 |
| 31 | Caringbah High School | Caringbah | 34.4% | 301 | 80 |
| 33 | Gosford High School | Gosford | 33.8% | 336 | 53 |
| 43 | Hurlstone Agricultural High School | Glenfield | 29.4% | 306 | 44 |
| 45 | St George Girls High School | Kogarah | 29.0% | 249 | 38 |
| 46 | Sydney Technical High School | Bexley | 28.6% | 234 | 51 |
| 62 | Smith's Hill High School | Wollongong | 24.6% | 185 | 54 |
The Conservatorium High School (selective entry by audition) ranked 15th with a 42.6% success rate.
Biggest movers: Caringbah rose from 80th to 31st, Penrith from 30th to 17th, and Gosford from 53rd to 33rd. Northern Beaches SC Manly fell from 15th to 25th.
Partially selective schools in the rankings (2025 HSC)
Partially selective schools have a selective stream alongside local enrolments, so their results mix both groups.
| NSW rank | School | Success rate | Band 6/E4 results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | Northern Beaches SC, Balgowlah Boys Campus | 24.5% | 195 |
| 64 | Chatswood High School | 24.1% | 368 |
| 78 | Sefton High School | 21.5% | 206 |
| 94 | Parramatta High School | 19.4% | 198 |
| 113 | Northern Beaches SC, Mackellar Girls Campus | 16.3% | 120 |
Top 99.95 ATAR schools in 2025
The success rate measures depth across a whole cohort. The number of perfect ATARs measures the very top:
| School | 99.95 ATARs (2025) |
|---|---|
| James Ruse Agricultural High School | 9 |
| North Sydney Boys High School | 7 |
| Baulkham Hills High School | 6 |
| Sydney Grammar School | 6 |
Reported counts vary slightly between sources, because schools publish their own figures and not every student consents to sharing their ATAR.
What the rankings don't tell you
- They measure intake as much as teaching. Selective schools take the top-scoring students from the placement test, so strong HSC results are expected.
- Small changes in rank mean little. A few percentage points separate many schools.
- They don't show fit. Travel time, single-sex vs co-ed, subject offerings and your child's wellbeing matter more than a rank difference of ten places.
- Entry difficulty and HSC rank aren't the same. Schools near the top of the HSC table usually have the highest placement scores, but entry scores aren't published and change each year.
How to use this when choosing schools
You can list up to three selective school preferences, ranked. A sensible approach:
- First choice: the school your child would most like to attend, even if it's a stretch.
- Second choice: a strong school with slightly lower entry demand.
- Third choice: a school you'd be happy with that's realistic on your child's practice scores.
Read our guides to the NSW Selective test, selective schools in NSW and reserve lists and results. Individual school guides include James Ruse, Baulkham Hills, North Sydney Boys and Sydney Girls.
Our NSW Selective practice tests include eight full mock exams, each with a human-marked writing task, so you can see where your child sits before you set preferences.
Selective schools in other states
- Victoria: four selective entry high schools from Year 9. See best public high schools in Melbourne.
- Queensland: QASMT and Brisbane State High School's selective stream. See best high schools in Brisbane.
- Western Australia: Perth Modern School and GATE programs. See our Perth Modern entry guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the number one selective school in NSW? North Sydney Boys High School ranked first in NSW in the 2025 HSC, for the third consecutive year. James Ruse was second.
Which selective school has the most 99.95 ATARs? James Ruse Agricultural High School, with nine in 2025.
How many fully selective schools are there in NSW? 17 fully selective high schools, plus partially selective schools, agricultural selective schools and Aurora College for rural and remote students.
Are the rankings official? No. NESA publishes the list of students who achieved Band 6 results; rankings are calculated from that list by media and education companies.
Sources: 2025 HSC rankings compiled from the NESA Distinguished Achievers list, as published by Matrix Education and KIS Academics (December 2025); 99.95 ATAR counts as reported by schools and compiled by Apex Tuition. Selective school types from the NSW Department of Education.