HSC 2023: Full NSW school rankings revealed
The state’s most consistent HSC performer has taken a tumble in the official 2023 rankings, with a new champion being crowned in its place. Search your school here.
Education
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After 27 years in pole position, the principal of James Ruse Agricultural High School has conceded the school’s title as the state’s most successful in the HSC, calling the principal of North Sydney Boys High School to offer congratulations.
James Ruse principal Rachel Powell, who left Sydney Boys’ five years ago to take the helm, said in a statement that it was pleasing that the number one spot had remained with the public school sector.
“It pleases me that another public school ... has the title for 2023 and I’ve contacted Mr (Brian) Ferguson, the Principal of North Sydney Boys’, to congratulate him, his staff and students,” Ms Powell said.
“I’m extremely proud of our students.
“HSC achievement at this truly outstanding level is remarkable and I congratulate all our students who have done so well.”
The result will be a credit to the North Sydney Boys’ principal who is in his first year in the role, following a 10-year stint at Western Sydney selective Penrith High as a maths teacher and then deputy principal.
The single-sex selective school had 69 per cent of its students’ 955 HSC entries achieving the ‘distinguished achiever’ badge in 2023.
Mr Ferguson said combined effort from the school community and students to achieve the HSC results was “magical”.
“We’ve had the highest number of students get 99.95 than we’ve ever had in the history of the school,” he said.
In a clip the school shared on social media, the moment an assembly of students were told their school had ranked number one, Year 12 graduates leapt to their feet, screaming and hugging each other.
“To be able to share that (results) with the school today was pretty special, but then to be able to share that next piece of the puzzle was next level,” he said.
“I was proud of that year group regardless. We were very proud of the way they went into the HSC exams. The teachers told me the students could not have done any more.
“I am also proud that I know know they are ready for the next stage of their life because this group worked together as a team and they pulled each other along and I think to me was their biggest strength.”
Ms Ferguson praised the collaborative effort from the wider school community.
“I’m really fortunate that I have incredibly talented and dedicated staff. They always go above and beyond,” he said.
“There’s an incredible connection our students have with their teachers.
“We have just had an incredible mix of teachers, parents the alumni that have just come together in such a magical way with a student body that has engaged so well this is what the result is.”
Former teacher Bob Weiss, who taught at the school for 38 years, said the achievement will be a point of pride for students, parents and the broader school community.
“The kids always work hard ... there’s lots of push from parents,” he said.
Fellow long-serving North Sydney Boys teacher Linda Moulton downplayed any suggestion of a genuine rivalry with Ruse or any of the surrounding schools.
“There’s a lot of talk, but when it comes down to it they’ll go to the library and study with Killara kids, Knox kids,” she said.
“They don’t care that you’re from a different school, or that you have different class notes.”
North Sydney Boys students Joel Gaynor and Wilson Thai said they were relieved with their results and proud of the “team” of peers in their year group.
“I am incredibly happy for every single person here,” Joel said.
“We’ve all been working really hard.”
Wilson agreed saying it was “satisfying to see all their friend’s ATARs and how well they did.”
“Our teachers were also exceptional. Flawless. They were always doing everything they can to help us and all our success is from them.”
The pair also praised school captain and high - achiever Jordan (Khang) Ho.
“He was absolutely amazing leading the charge,” Wilson said.
Jordan not only topped the state in English Advanced but also scored a 99.95 ATAR.
“I hugged my family and we were all so happy,” he said.
“At my very first school captain induction space I said we would become the best school in
NSW and people took that as a joke and had a bit of a laugh and I stood by it and everyone then adopted that mentality. It wasn’t just me, it was the whole grade.
“I can’t express in words how proud I am (of the cohort).
“It shows that if you are dedicated enough and you do hard work together (you can achieve so much).”
Student Aaryan D Gandhi achieved a 99.0 ATAR and was “pleasantly surprised.”
“My parents took the day off work just so they could be there (to support their son in receiving his results),” he said.
“It’s too surreal, the thought that people later on are going to call us the class that did it.”
“Jordan gave us a speech at the start of year 12 and he instilled that belief from that moment on.
“The people around the school, the canteen staff, office staff have really built the community. Nothing would exist without them, all these clubs and committees. They need a shout out.”
TOP TEN SCHOOLS
To calculate schools’ rankings, the total number of top band (Band 6 or E4 for one-unit courses) results in a school are divided by the total number of completed HSC entries.
This means James Ruse has slipped into second place, with 60 per cent of their results in the highest band.
Despite the fall from a nearly three-decade legacy, it’s nonetheless an impressive feat, with only eight schools in the state achieving a proportion over 50 per cent.
For Ruse, the writing may have already been on the wall, falling from over 70 per cent in 2021 with a 10 percentage point gulf between Ruse and their second-place rivals at North Sydney Boys, to 67.7 per cent last year and a quickly closing gap of less than five per cent.
Beyond the swap at the top, the top five schools remain the same as in 2022, but there’s been other upsets in the ranks further down.
Ruse’s 7.67 per cent decline is among the highest in the state, but St Peter’s Anglican College in Broulee had 7.75 per cent fewer distinguished achievements in 2023, while pricey Mosman private school Queenwood declined 9.61 per cent, falling from 24th place last year to 45th spot.
Of the schools in the top ten, four are private, independent schools - Reddam House in Woollahra in fifth, boys’ schools St Aloysius’ College in seventh and Sydney Grammar School at eighth, and girls’ school SCEGGS Darlinghurst rounding out the list.
For St Aloysius the 2023 results mark a sharp rise nine places up the leaderboard, while girls’ school Abbotsleigh has fallen three places to number 11.
The remaining six are public, but academically selective schools like Ruse and North Sydney Boys, including their sister school North Sydney Girls in fourth place and Baulkham Hills High School just above them in third.
Private and selective schools make up the entirety of the top 50 schools in the state, with Northern Beaches Secondary College’s Balgowlah Boys Campus at number 57 the first comprehensive public school on the list, closely followed by Willoughby Girls’ High School in 59th spot.
The release of rankings follows more than 55,000 students waking Thursday to access their HSC results and ATAR scores.
The release of results marked the official end to 13 years of schooling for Year 12 students.
The Universities Admissions Centre has confirmed 49 students have received the top ATAR of 99.95 in 2023, and the vast majority of those are male.
And 17.5 per cent of the cohort earned ATARs above 90.
Students across NSW took to social media platforms on Thursday to live record their results.
Videos posted to TikTok showed some students crying, praying and shaking as they logged in to check their ATAR scores at 9am.
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