More than a dozen Gold Coast schools record perfect university acceptance rate

While private and public schools on the Gold Coast have delivered winners with their OP scores, one type of schooling has proven itself to be better in getting students accepted into university degrees.

STATE and private schools on the Gold Coast are proving winners when it comes to OP graduate results but those hoping for a degree have a slightly better chance at a private school.

Data from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority Year 12 Outcomes Report reveals local private school students who applied to Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) had a 98 per cent acceptance rate for University while 96 per cent of local public school applicants received offers.

More than a dozen public and private Gold Coast schools listed a 100 per cent success rate for tertiary offers.

More than a dozen public and private Gold Coast schools listed a 100 per cent success rate for tertiary offers.

Gold Coast schools with 100 per cent tertiary acceptance rates included Elanora State High, Tamborine Mountain State High, Palm Beach-Currumbin State High, Nerang State High and Upper Coomera State High.

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The latest OP results list also revealed close to a quarter of private school students received an

Overall Position in the highest bracket of 1-5, while just 16.5 per cent of public school graduates had the same success.

Southport State High, Tamborine Mountain High and Varsity State High all made it into the top 100 schools for OP scores in Queensland.

Grace Kennett and Marc Eksteen from Somerset College are off to university after achieving outstanding OP results. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The numbers also showed those in a private or Catholic education were far more likely to attempt the test than those in government education.

In 2018, 66.66 per cent of all private school graduates went for an Overall Position while only 30.93 per cent of public school students did.

Private school Emmanuel College, which had the third best results on the Gold Coast, also achieved the highest ratio of OP eligible students with more than 84 per cent of graduates taking the Queensland Core Skills test.

Benowa State High had the lowest rate of OP recipients on the Gold Coast with 47 – or 17 per cent – of 270 seniors seeking the certificate.

Public school seniors topped the list when it came to alternative qualifications.

More than 81 per cent of all public school seniors graduated from high school with some form of Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications.

Study Gold Coast CEO Alfred Slogrove.

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More than half of Gold Coast private school seniors graduated with a VET qualification.

Trinity Lutheran College had the largest ratio of VET qualifications for a private school with 87 per cent qualifying, Keebra Park State High topped the list for public schools with a 95 per cent VET graduation rate.

Varsity College senior secondary head Greg Morgan said there wasn’t a difference between public and private.

“What is important is our schools look at what the student needs in terms of a career,” he said.

Varsity had one of the most successful OP results in Queensland with 23 per cent of their students earning top marks.

“The great results from our public schools say save your private fee, go on a holiday, pay off your mortgage and send them through a state system.

“Private fees can really be a huge cost. When we have such quality public schools on the Coast, why not enrich your children’s lives in other ways?”

Study Gold Coast CEO Alfred Slogrove said the region as a whole was punching well above its weight when it came to education.

“Our schools are very good at offering a more tailored approach to education, whether they are public or private schools,” he said.

“We are known for our passionate teachers which reflects well on our education industry and the economy.”

Mr Slogrove said public schools tended to offer more TAFE thanks to the help of Government programs, which in turn linked students directly to their chosen fields.

“Some people are on a different pathway, so it isn’t necessarily down to public or private,” he said.

“It is more down to the individuals aptitude and passion for a particular field. We are seeing a trend from our students towards skills not school.”

AVERAGE GOLD COAST RESULTS

Private School OP 1-5: 24.07%

Public School OP 1-5: 16.50%

VET Private School grads: 51.6%

VET Public School grads: 81.6%

Private school tertiary acceptance: 98%

Public school tertiary acceptance: 96%