By Lucy Carroll, Mary Ward and Ricky Blank
A Sydney private boys’ school has claimed a quarter of this year’s top ATAR scores, as the gap between boys and girls achieving the accolade widens.
Fourteen students from academically selective Sydney Grammar School in Darlinghurst received an ATAR of 99.95 when results were released on Wednesday. Wahroonga’s Knox Grammar, another private boys’ school, achieved the second-highest number, with seven students.
Warren Song, Yutong Duan and Julia Zheng, from James Ruse Agricultural High School, all received 99.95 ATARs.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
In selective public schools, students at James Ruse Agricultural High received six perfect ATARs, while those at North Sydney Boys High – which beat James Ruse for the second year in a row to be named the state’s top school based on HSC subject marks – received four.
For James Ruse student Yutong Duan, nerves took over as he logged on to receive his results on Wednesday. He achieved the highest possible rank off the back of band 6 scores in subjects including chemistry, physics and extension 2 maths.
“Of all my subjects, music extension was the absolute highlight of the year,” said Duan, 18. He started cello lessons in year 2 after his public primary school hosted musicians for a demonstration and performed on the instrument for the final HSC exam.
“It was a real break from being at my desk and computer. If I ever felt stressed, I would fluff around on piano and cello to relax.”
His classmate Julia Zheng, who also scored 99.95, said chemistry and physics were her stronger subjects. “After the first few exams, I was stressed about how I was going, but as I went on, I started to feel more confident.”
Before travelling to his school to learn his year group’s result, North Sydney Boys graduate Bowen Wu already had cause to celebrate, receiving the highest ATAR.
He was quick to thank his parents for emotionally supporting him through the stress of exams and his mum’s nutritious cooking that kept him going.
“It feels like a culmination of what we’ve done,” he said.
His classmate Tharun Bandara, who also received 99.95, said their cohort had benefited from studying in groups and making a shared spreadsheet of past papers.
Tharun had hoped for an ATAR “above 99” but upwardly revised his goal throughout the year. “Honestly, I didn’t expect it, but it is something I am very grateful for,” he said.
Epping Boys student James Wadey after receiving his 99.95 ATAR on Wednesday.Credit: Steven Siewert
Just nine of the 51 top ATARs were awarded to girls in 2024, compared with 12 from 49 students in 2023. The widening gap between girls and boys achieving the top mark has been attributed to the positive “scaling” of science and mathematics, subjects which attract more male students, when the aggregate rank is calculated.
There are some exemptions: Sydney Grammar dux Hugo Sharkey earned one of the school’s 99.95 ATARs without taking a maths or science subject. He achieved the state’s highest mark in ancient history, second-highest in English advanced, Latin extension and French continuers, and third-highest in history extension.
Nervously waiting on Wednesday morning, Sydney Girls High School’s Nikita Badve avoided entering her marks into one of the many available online ATAR calculators.
“But my dad put it in,” she said. The online calculator’s result after factoring in top bands in English advanced, mathematics extension 1 and 2, and Latin continuers and extension was 99.95.
Nikita Badve was the only HSC Latin extension student at Sydney Girls High this year.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Soon enough, her rank was confirmed.
She was the only student at her school to take the highest-level Latin course, which she loved.
“Despite being written so long ago, I still find specific descriptions and phrases in the Latin texts I have read highly resonant,” she told the Herald earlier this year.
Nikita opened her results at home with her parents in Blakehurst. She is not sure what she wants to study next year but hopes to pursue something in science and research.
Having received the result coveted by so many, her advice for future HSC students was to move on from disappointing marks quickly: “Do not let any setbacks or failures get in your way, with consistency you can improve.”
Sydney Grammar student Hugo Sharkey received a 99.95 ATAR without doing any mathematics or science subjects.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Based on the information gathered by the Herald, students from private schools have dominated the list of top ranks.
Knox student Zachary Ni said he enjoyed balancing study with representing his school in tennis.
“Despite our school being very academic, I appreciated the opportunity to do other things,” he said.
Zachary came second in the state in mathematics extension 1, while also achieving the top band in English advanced, physics, the highest level maths and German continuers.
“I’ve taken German since year 8 – my teacher was not only a very good German teacher but also gave me very good advice,” Zachary said.
One of the biggest stars of the 2024 HSC, Redeemer Baptist School student Anubhav Ammangi, woke at 5.30am to look at his results.
The 99.95 was hardly a surprise: Anubhav received first in course awards for chemistry and software design and development at a ceremony on Tuesday after coming first in mathematics extension 1 as a year 11 student last year.
“My parents were really happy,” he said.
with Nick Newling and Christopher Harris