Selective school (New South Wales)

Selective schools in New South Wales, Australia are government high schools operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities that have accepted their students based upon their academic merit. Each year, approximately 13,000 Year 6 students from across the state of New South Wales optionally undertake the Selective High Schools Test to seek one of the 3,600 places offered for first-year entry into selective high schools. For Years 8 to 12 entry into selective schools, students do not take an external test, but apply directly to a school for entry. The application package is common to all government selective schools, with internal selection committees considering applications each year in August–September.

The first government selective high schools in NSW were established in the nineteenth century. They included Bathurst High School, Fort Street High School, Goulburn High School, Sydney Technical High School, Penrith High School and Sydney High School (now Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Girls High School).

In 2010, 14 more comprehensive high schools will become partially selective, with one or more classes of selective students, and a "virtual school" bringing together a single class of students from regional NSW.

There are currently 30 selective government high schools, including 17 fully selective high schools, 25 partially selective high schools (high schools with both selective and comprehensive classes) and 4 selective agricultural high schools. Of the 42, 36 are located in metropolitan Sydney.

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