Sydney private girls’ schools come top of class in co-ed, single-sex breakdown of 700+ NAPLAN results

Exclusive analsis of NAPLAN results has revealed who comes out on top between girls’ schools, boys’ schools or co-ed. See how your NSW school stacks up.

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Sydney’s top all-girls schools are outperforming their male-only counterparts academically, while coeducational schools are lagging behind both in The Daily Telegraph’s analysis of NAPLAN scores from hundreds of schools across the state.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that, based on their most recent results in the Year 9 NAPLAN exams, girls’ private schools perform ten points higher on average than boys’ schools, and more than 70 points higher than coeducational public schools.

Analysis of data obtained by NewsCorp’s Schools Hub for almost 800 public, Catholic and Independent secondary schools shows the 73 girls’ schools on the list average a score of 607.2 across the five literacy and numeracy assessments, with private schools narrowly beating government schools.

The 34 private boys’ schools record an average score of 597.1, while 21 public boys’ schools drop down to 584.5.

Co-educational schools, both public and private, recorded the lowest average scores at 578.7 (across 275 schools) and 543.9 (across 390 schools) respectively.

However, among the top 100 schools in the state, just than half are single-sex and the vast majority of those only enrol girls, outnumbering all-boys schools more than two to one.

Independent Girls’ Schools Association CEO Sonia Berry said while the academic benefits of single-sex education for girls “is a highly contested space”, the benefits for girls when studying science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects is “unequivocal”.

Tangara School for Girls Year 9 students Merryn O’Neill, 15, Grace Cabela, 14, and Francesca Lorenzo, 15, say they’re grateful for the sense of community they get from attending a single-sex school. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“Girls in single sex schools (have) a strong sense of wellbeing, a higher academic self-concept, greater feelings of social support and reduced rates of depression and peer related stress,” she said.

Head of elite Southern Highlands school Frensham Geoff Marsh suggested the stronger results for girls’ schools than boys’ schools could be attributed to an increased focus in the classroom and fewer distractions.

“By tailoring teaching to girls’ learning needs and preferences, girls are provided the opportunity to reach their full potential by feeling empowered to take on roles often dominated by boys in a coeducational environment,” he said.

His observations were echoed by the heads of fellow all-girls schools SCEGGS in Darlinghurst and Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook, with Tangara head Rita Sakr citing distraction from studies – or lack thereof – as a major point of difference.

Tangara School for Girls Principal Rita Sakr with her Year 9 students Grace, Francesca and Merryn. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“I can say that, because I’ve actually taught in a co-ed setting, and taught in all-boys schools and all-girls,” she said.

“I do find that the girls are very focused – they tend to motivate each other … and because the don’t have those social distractions that perhaps they would in a co-ed school, I do find that that also helps them achieve highly.”

SCEGGS head Jenny Allum described the female-only environment as a “confidence” booster.

“You’re not going to be put down for trying hard … picking yourself up and trying again next time is a culture in girls’ schools,” she said.

The trend in NAPLAN results flies in the face of recent moves in both the independent and public school systems to introduce coeducation in historically all-male schools or merge girls’ and boys’ campuses.

SCEGGS Darlinghurst Year 12 pupils, Sybella Hooke, Hannah Guest, Leyla Bensan and Catherine Park. The girls say attending an all-girls school means worrying less about their own gender than their identity as students and future leaders. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Newington College’s transition to coeducation has in particular sparked debate both within the school community and outside it. Education researcher Professor Helen Proctor suggested male-only schools could be a dying breed, in a cultural climate where parents are increasingly demanding coeducational settings regardless of academic results.

“Boys’ schools, generally, are in trouble,” she said.

“They really have to work twice as hard to make a success of it, because parents are a bit reluctant to send their kids to boys’ schools.

“Whether it’s fair or unfair, they’ve been beset by a number of scandals that people attribute to the fact that it’s a boys school – whereas girls schools have just been running along swimmingly since the 1980s.”