By Noel Towell
VCE powerhouse Ballarat Clarendon College is the state’s top-performing school for the third year running.
The year 12s at the regional private school, which regularly outperforms its more expensive Melbourne peers at exam time, achieved a median VCE study score of 37 this year. Nearly 35 per cent of students recorded study scores of 40 or more.
Ballarat Clarendon College principal Jen Bourke (second from left) with year 12 students (from left) Annabelle Moloney, Charlie Chandler and Ruby Kinnersly.Credit: Chris Hopkins
The next best performing institution, by a small margin, was Mount Waverley’s Huntingtower School. It also achieved a median score of 37, and 31.7 per cent of the class of 2024 had study scores above 40.
The Age has ranked schools by their students’ median VCE study score and then by percentage of study scores of 40 and above.
In third spot this year was the Melbourne’s select entry Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, another consistently high performer and 2024’s top-ranked government school. It had a median study score of 37 and 31.1 per cent of year 12s had 40-plus study scores.
Three other schools also achieved a median study score of 37 to round out the top six: Mount Scopus Memorial College, Ruyton Girls’ School and Yeshivah College.
A big improver this year was the government sector John Monash Science School, which registered a median study score of 36, earning a place among the top-tier schools.
The top-ranking non-select entry government school this year was McKinnon Secondary College. It had a median study score of 33, and 17 per cent of its year-12s were above 40. Glen Waverley Secondary College , Balwyn High and Doncaster Secondary College also performed strongly.
Best in class in the Catholic sector was Toorak’s Loreto Mandeville Hall, followed by Sacre Coeur in Glen Iris and St Kevin’s College, also in Toorak.
The best-performing rural or regional school this year, after Ballarat Clarendon, was Goulburn Valley Grammar, followed by two Geelong schools, Geelong College and Iona College.
Ballarat Clarendon principal Jen Bourke said on Friday the school did not teach to exams, believing that if it got its “highly interactive” model of explicit instruction right, top marks would follow.
“We follow the science of learning,” Bourke said. “We have a model of explicit teaching, and that means that every concept is fully explained, every skill is fully demonstrated before we ask the students to apply those concepts or skills.”
When it comes to exam time, just trust the process is the Ballarat Clarendon way.
“We focus on the process,” Bourke said. “You can’t control the exam, you can’t control the outcome.
“We ask the students to focus on what they can control, rather than the outcome.
“They can control turning up to class, turning up to school, how they participate in class, whether or not they complete their homework.”
Bourke emphasised the school’s role as a standard-bearer for its community.
Ballarat Clarendon College principal Jen Bourke (second from left) and year 12 students (from left) Annabelle Moloney, Charlie Chandler and Ruby Kinnersly.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“Ballarat is an emerging regional town with a bright future. It’s really important to know that regional students can and do achieve highly, and it’s part of our role in the communities to contribute to that,” she said.
“We bring a lot of skilled professionals into the city, either as parents or teachers, and Ballarat is known as an educational hub.”
McKinnon Secondary principal Michael Kan said everyone at the school’s Bentleigh campus was elated at the achievements of its 400-strong year 12 cohort this year.
“We had 11 perfect study scores, 15 kids with [ATAR scores of] 99 or above,” Kan said on Friday.
“The great news story is nearly two-thirds of our kids are getting over-80 ATARS, which is just so pleasing because it opens the next chapter for them, and the possibilities and opportunities for the next stage of their life.”
Kan said he believed the college’s academic success had much to do with the close-knit culture there.
“It’s a wonderful community,” he said. “It’s a school of choice for both families and teachers and leaders.
“We have over 45 teachers that are ex-students, and three of our principal team are ex-students as well.”
“There’s a really positive culture that’s been built over many years. It’s not something that’s a flash in the pan. It’s been worked on.”
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