Geelong school scores academic success, ranks highly in Victorian comparison

A Geelong school has ranked in the top seven per cent in the state for academic performance.

Kardinia College has been ranked in the top seven per cent of Victorian schools for Better Education rankings. Pictured celebrating is principal Catherine Lockhart with College captains James Leahy, Fadilah Mahmood and prefect Leisel Huddart. Picture: Alison Wynd

Kardinia International College has been ranked in the top seven per cent of Victorian schools.

It is one of three Geelong schools named in the state’s top 100.

The Bell Post Hill school scored 97 out of 100 in the Better Education 2023 secondary school analysis, while Geelong Grammar scored 95 and ranked in the top 12 per cent.

The Geelong College scored 94, ranking in the top 16 per cent.

Kardinia International College was 39th in the state, Geelong Grammar School was 73rd and Geelong College was 98th.

There are more than 600 secondary schools, or combined primary and secondary schools, across the state.

Kardinia International College principal Catherine Lockhart said to rank highly was a great validation of staff and students’ hard work.

”We believe it’s recognition for all the way through from kindergarten,” she said.

Mrs Lockhart said she attributed the academic success of students to a range of factors.

“We have a holistic approach to education so the academics is one side,” she said.

“There are 1400 students in the senior school and everyone has a different timetable so there’s a lot of choice for students in the subjects they take and when students have choice over what they’re learning they are engaged in it which makes a big difference.”

Kardinia College principal Catherine Lockhart and College captains Fadilah Mahmood, James Leahy and prefect Leisel Huddart celebrate ranking highly for academic success in the state. Picture: Alison Wynd

Mrs Lockhart said the school would aim to continue to improve and remedy any gaps.

Geelong Grammar School principal Rebecca Cody said the school did not believe tests should be defining.

“As a nation, we should want a schooling system that thrives on effective diagnostic tools, not for pigeonholing learners and shaming school communities, but for identifying where and how support needs to be applied,” she said.

“With regard to school rankings; Geelong Grammar School’s holistic philosophy embeds functional literacy and numeracy skills across our educational program.

“We want our learners to have optimised their literacy and numeracy skills, and to have also been nurtured artistically, athletically, emotionally, intellectually, morally, socially and spiritually.

“We want them to have the confidence and the capacity to be challenged.”

The Better Education website is run independently and describes its aim as providing “informative and comparative school results, including school rankings or ratings and lists of best performing schools, to parents wanting to make ­choices about schooling for their children”.

The overall score is an index of performance, not a ranking and is determined by test results.

The highest score achievable is 100 and the worst is 60.

Schools with the same score are measured by Better Education on academic results to provide overall placings.

Originally published as Geelong school scores academic success, ranks highly in Victorian comparison