SA schools spruik ATAR success as history’s page finds firsts and lasts

Spruiking is in full swing for SA schools as parents and students look for the state’s best places to succeed. See the table of 2021 ATAR results and high achievers.

The academic year has ended with a mix of firsts and lasts as schools tally up their ATARs, duxes and disappointments of 2021.

Private schools spruiking their high achievers were led by Wilderness School with a median Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 95.5 and St Peter’s Girls on 93.55.

Other girls-only schools with stellar results were Walford Anglican with a median 92.9 ATAR and a third of students over 95, and Seymour a smidgen behind at 92.2.

More than half of the girls at Wilderness School were at 95 or above, including 17 per cent at 99 or above.

Among boys-only schools, St Peter’s College had its highest median ATAR in five years at 91.23, while arch-rival Prince Alfred College highlighted the 19 per cent of its students who were at 95 or above.

Blackfriars Priory School recorded a median ATAR of 81.3 and its best-ever proportion of subject grades in the A-band at 42 per cent.

Co-eds reporting median ATARs included Westminster on 84.8 and Immanuel on 82.4.

Many schools reported 100 per cent of students passing their South Australian Certificate of Education, including Edward John Eyre High in Whyalla, which taught its last year 12s.

Next year, it will merge with Whyalla High and Stuart High, which each taught years 8-10, to form the new $100m Whyalla Secondary College.

Edward John Eyre closed with accolades – the first time more than 10 students had an ATAR above 90, and a record number of SACE graduates.

ATARS FROM SCHOOLS AROUND THE STATE

Wilderness School
Median ATAR 95.5
17pc of students achieved ATARs of 99 or above
52 pc achieved ATARs of 95 or above
67pc achieved ATARs of 90or above
Students earned a total of 76 SACE Merits

St Peter’s Girls School
Median ATAR 93.55
41pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
70pc of all grades were As

Walford Anglican
Median ATAR 92.9
32pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
More than 50pc of students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Five students achieved an ATAR of 99 or above

Seymour College
Median ATAR 92.2
34 pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
53pc of students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 42 SACE Merits

St Peter’s College
Median ATAR 91.23, the highest in the past five years
16 students (12pc) achieved an ATAR of 99 or above
43 students (32pc) achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
27 students earned a total of 36 SACE Merits

Pulteney Grammar
Median ATAR 87
9pc of students achieved an ATAR of 99 or above
25pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
16 students earned a total of 20 SACE Merits

Westminster School
Median ATAR 84.8
18pc of students achieved an ATAR 95 or above
33.7pcpc achieved an ATAR 90 or above

Prince Alfred College
Median ATAR 83.15
19pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
58pc of students achieved an ATAR of 80 or above
2 students achieved an ATAR above 99
12 students earned a total of 15 SACE Merits

Adelaide High
37 individual students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
Students achieved a total of 37 SACE Merits

Blackfriars Priory School
14 students (18pc) achieved ATARS of 95 or above
24 students (31pc) achieved ATARs of 90 or above
Students earned a total of 12 SACE Merits

 Brighton Secondary
7 individual students achieved an ATAR 95 or above
31 individual students achieved an ATAR 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 13 SACE Merits

Cabra College
16 individual students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 12 SACE Merits

Christian Brothers College
8 students (7pc) achieved ATARs 95 or above
30 students (26pc) achieved ATARs 90 or above
Students earned a total of 14 SACE Merits

Concordia College
11pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
27pc of students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
16 students achieved a total of 21 SACE Merits

Golden Grove High
6 individual students achieved an ATAR 95 or above
Students achieved a total of 4 SACE Merits

Immanuel College
Median ATAR 82.4
5 individual students achieved an ATAR of 99 or above
33 students earned a total of 44 SACE Merits

Gleeson College
9pc of students achieved an ATAR 95 or above
14.4pc of students achieved an ATAR 90 or above

Henley High
42 individual students achieved an ATAR 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 24 SACE Merits

Loreto College
14pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
52pc of all grades were As

Marryatville High
36 individual students achieved an ATAR 95 or above
54 individual students achieved an ATAR 90 or above
35 students earned a SACE Merit

Mitcham Girls High
23pc of students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 8 SACE Merits

Mercedes College
31pc of students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
59 students earned A grades in at least three subjects

Pembroke School
12 students (7pc) achieved an ATAR of 99 or above
41 students (24pc) achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
73 students (43pc) achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 64 SACE Merits

Roma Mitchell Secondary
16 individual students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Students achieved a total of 4 SACE Merits

Rostrevor College
13pc of students achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
26pc of students achieved an ATAR 90 or above
Students earned a total of 29 SACE Merits

Scotch College
3 students achieved an ATAR of 99 or above
32 students (26pc) achieved achieved an ATAR 95 or above
48 students (39pc) achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Students earned a total of 39 SACE Merits

Seaview High
10 individual students achieved an ATAR 90 or above

 

 

 

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School dux Pany Virdi achieved an ATAR of 98.8 and aims to study medicine.

“I’ve always had an interest in maths and biology,” she said.

It was also the end of Norwood Morialta High School as it consolidates on The Parade. It becomes Norwood International High School from 2022, in recognition of now offering the International Baccalaureate diploma.

The final dux of Norwood Morialta was Shradha Angrish, on an ATAR of 99.2, with four A+ grades and one A. Principal Jacqui van Ruiten said there were mixed emotions as the middle school campus closed.

“But there’s huge excitement about the opportunities about moving on to one campus and the facilities built with the $55m investment,” Ms Van Ruiten said.

The Norwood Morialta era ended with the “outstanding result” of the highest number of A grades from a year 12 class, she said.

Congratulations to successful SACE students at Avenues College, Claire Shinks, Abbey Amundsen, Amy O’Brien and Jake Lambden. Picture: Emma Brasier

At St Columba College in Andrews Farm, Kassidy Tamlin was dux with an ATAR of 96.2 and a first for the joint Anglican and Catholic school established in 1996.

Kassidy topped every subject, earning the first St Columba cum laude award.

“Her commitment to study was extraordinary,” principal Leanne Carr said.

Other firsts included Carol Sidhom recording the highest ever ATAR, 99.6, for a Gawler and District College student. At Warriappendi School in Marleston, a record nine Aboriginal students completed SACE.

At Clare High, Hayden Schultz had the responsibility of being head prefect but still managed As in every subject.

One of the smallest city secondary schools, Avenues College in Windsor Gardens, had a 100 per cent pass rate.

Avenues dux Amy O’Brien was happy with her 92.45 ATAR.

“It means my options are open,” said Amy, 17, who aims to become a primary school teacher.

Jakeb Lambden, on 92, was relieved after a stressful year.

His subjects included physics, which was not offered at Avenues because there were too few students – so he had to bus to Marden Senior College. Other high achievers at Avenues included Clare Shinks, who wants to become a nurse, and Abbey Amundson, who will study criminology and law at Adelaide University.