Haileybury Rendall School celebrates strong ATAR results for 2023

As the countdown to the Territory’s Year 12 results day looms, one Top End school is celebrating the release of its students’ strong ATAR and VCE results.

A Top End school’s average ATAR result has jumped about six points in just one year with its Dux achieving a near-perfect score.

Haileybury Rendall School student Vina Armand received a 98.1 ATAR score after studying English, health and human development, psychology, Indonesian as a second language, further mathematics, and studio arts in Year 12.

Some of Haileybury Rendall School’s top ATAR performers of 2023. L-R: Sahasra Linga, Lachlan McCoy, Charlotte Comitalo, Bijan Heydarpour, Damon Krake, Maggie O’Loughlin.

Principal Andrew McGregor said 37 per cent of the school’s Year 12s achieved an ATAR of 90 or higher, placing the students in the top 10 per cent of graduating students in the country.

He said 60 per cent of the 42-strong cohort achieved scores of 82 or higher, landing them in the top 18 per cent.

Mr McGregor said it was “quite a big deal” for the school’s average ATAR to have jumped from 79-80 to 86.5 in just one year.

“That means we’re obviously getting good results from a big part of the cohort, not just getting a couple of good students,” he said.

“This is our fifth year of getting Year 12 results given we’ve just finished our sixth year, so (it is) just great affirmation on everything we’re doing, that we’re seeing this improvement, and we’re very pleased with the kids.”

Haileybury Rendall School principal Andrew McGregor

Mr McGregor attributed the school’s success to its focus on English as a subject throughout 2023.

He said the school had also delivered some of its “best ever” Victorian Certificate of Education results.

“The way ATAR is calculated, you have to include English as one subject so there’s a lot of time and effort going into that,” he said.

Mr McGregor also said the students had taken to studying in groups throughout the year and taken their education into their own hands.

“They understand the importance of doing really well in the classroom and also working together and making the most of their opportunity,” he said.

“It’s that really good, positive vibe which has definitely contributed.”