First Queensland students to receive highest ATAR of 99.95 revealed

Queensland’s top students have been revealed with just 30 achieving the highest Australian Tertiary Admission Rank of 99.95 across the state.

The first Queensland students to receive the highest ATAR have been revealed with top-performing students celebrating achieving the best ranking of 99.95.

The results were published earlier than expected today with 30 Queensland students achieving the perfect score while 694 achieved a 98.9 and above, and 5,343 students received a 91.50 and above, and in total 19,524 finished above a ranking of 65.50.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School student Matina Samios, 18, said after a sleepless night it was a relief to wake up to the ATAR of her dreams.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is used for university entrance and the highest ranking on the 2,000 point scale is 99.95, which decreases in increments of 0.05 to 0.

Brisbane Girls Grammar student Matina Samios received a 99.95. Picture: Supplied

“Pretty much the first thing I did was open my laptop and head to the website because I really wanted to know, and I was very very surprised, I started screaming and I was crying and my mum rushed in, it was a great moment,” she told The Courier-Mail.

“At about 7.30 this morning I thought maybe they would release them for 9am and I thought I couldn’t wait another hour-and-a-half.

“Such a great end to such a not-so-great year, it’s a great early Christmas present.”

Ms Samios was dux of the prestigious girls school and hoped to achieve the highest ranking to study medicine at Griffith University.

“It’s such a relief, it’s a weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said.

Brisbane Grammar School student dux Lewis Luck, 17 was also one of the thirty students around the state to receive an ATAR of 99.95.

Brisbane Grammar School student Lewis Luck received an ATAR of 99.95. Picture: Supplied

It was the ultimate moment of satisfaction for Mr Luck, “it was a good sense of fulfilment that 13 years of schooling has culminated in something amazing”.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure yet but I’m thinking computer science or engineering, I’m thinking of going to study in Melbourne,” he said.

“STEM is the interesting way the world is moving, that’s what I’m interested in pursuing as a career.

“I was actually pretty relaxed about it, last night they released our external exam results at midnight so I saw my group chat was going off at midnight about results but they hadn’t got an ATAR.”

But Mr Luck said he was asleep by 10pm because he didn’t think they would be published early and was trying not to stress out.

“At the end of the day, we’ve done all the work we can, people probably had a rough idea of what they were going to get anyway,” he said.

“It came out early, it was about 7.30 that it came out, not sure why they did that.”

The Southport School’s Vishaak Gangasandra, 17, also received a 99.95.

“I feel quite excited but knowing that I also know it was a lot of hard work and made a lot of sacrifices this year, so it’s paid off,” he said.

Mr Gangasandra said he was very happy to achieve the top ranking, but said he knew schooling was about more than just academics.

TSS student Vishaak Gangasandra, 17, with his parents. The Gold Coast student received an ATAR of 99.95.

“It’s about getting involved in everything you can, sport, extracurricular activities, spending time with friends and doing what you love,” he said.

He hopes to study medicine at the University of Sydney, but said he also had an interview with Harvard University to study neuroscience.

“I actually got straight to bed last night, hoping the time would go by and I would wake up and results would be out, I was quite nervous so tried to sleep it off,” he said.

“This morning my father told me that the ATARs had been released early, he told me to check and he was just so, so happy for me.

“I was so excited when I saw my ATAR, my mother was next to me and I gave her the strongest hug I have ever given anybody for all the support she’s given me over the past 13 years and my life.”

Rockhampton Grammar School student Sansuka De Silva, 18, was among the 30 students with a top ATAR, and hopes to study medicine at either Monash University in Melbourne or at the University of New South Wales.

He said it was nerve-racking opening the portal to see his ranking this morning because all of his “hard work from the past few years came down to this one number”.

Rockhampton Grammar School student Sansuka De Silva got a ATAR 99.95. Photo: Supplied

“It was something I put a lot of effort into and I really wanted to receive a good ATAR.

“When I opened the result, I was very ecstatic and very overwhelmed and told my family and we’re all very, very happy.”

Mr De Silva said he was very thankful to everyone who has helped him, especially his family and friends and his school.

Sunshine Coast Grammar School’s Grace Thomas received an ATAR of 99.95 while juggling her love of academics with her love of tennis.

“I woke up pretty late and grabbed my computer and my family were out in the lounge room and I logged in and saw it, it was pretty instant, the score just came up,” Ms Thomas said.

Grace Thomas from Sunshine Coast Grammar School. Photo: Supplied

“It’s definitely a feeling of relief, it just feels good to have gotten through the year and everyone being happy with the result, for sure.”

Ms Thomas said the balance with tennis and academics was difficult but there was no chance she would put either on the back foot.

She hopes to go to college in the United States next year so she can maximise both her tennis and academic abilities.

“Playing tennis seriously you have the choice of playing tennis at college in America or going pro but because academics are really important to me being able to play tennis and go to a really good school over there would be the dream,” Ms Thomas said.

BBC student Matthew Chen, 18, who received an ATAR of 99.95, which he was “very happy” with.

“Another friend of mine at the school got a 99.95, we were both pretty happy,” he said.

“I’m hoping to go to University of Melbourne to study computer science.”

School-leaver Justin Holland from Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Buderim also received an ATAR of 99.95.

Justin Holland.

Twelve students there received an ATAR of 99 and above (11.4 per cent) and 65 students obtained a 90 or above (61.9 per cent).

The data is based on 105 students who shared their ATAR with the college.

Somerville House’s Adeleine Watson, Wavell State High School’s Connor Davis, Churchie’s Declan Fletcher, Brisbane State High School’s Stamatios Iconomidis, The Gap State High School’s Hannah Kenway, Townsville Grammar School’s Emily Price and Mansfield State High School’s Katherine Nguyen also achieved a 99.95.

It comes as Queensland schools are heralding strong performance in the first year of the new system.

Stuartholme student Molly McCann, 18, said when she opened her ATAR at about 8.45am she was somewhat shocked she received a 99.3 and thought it couldn’t be real.

Molly McCann achieved a strong ATAR rank. Photo: Supplied

“I am so proud and it’s a lovely result for all of my hard work,” she said.

“I was in tears, happy tears, I was over the moon, I went and told my family and they were all very pleased.

She hopes to study degrees in Mathematics and Commerce at UQ.

Fraser Coast Anglican College in Hervey Bay has reported that four out of the 16 students (25 per cent) who consented to share their ATARs received a ranking of 90 or above.

School-leaver Matthew Horton received the highest ATAR at the school, a rank of 99.10.

Fraser Coast Anglican College Principal Joe Wright said the results were reflective of the hard work of students and staff, and the high standards the college has expected of them over many years.

He added that the Year 12 students have been determined to make the best of a tough year.

“They’ve been determined to make the best of it. Hats off to them for that,” Mr Wright said.

“Stuartholme School Principal Kristen Sharpe said the ATARs demonstrated the hard work, focus and tenacity of their Year 12 students.

“We are unreservedly proud of our results, with 44.3 per cent of students achieving an ATAR of 90 or higher and 19% 95 or higher,” she said.

Originally published as First Queensland students to receive highest ATAR of 99.95 revealed