By Noel Towell
For one of the state’s top-ranked private schools, success is only to be expected.
Haileybury Girls College, a consistently top-ranked VCE school, came in at equal seventh this year among the 50 best performers from the independent and Catholic sector.
Jing Ru Zhang was a top performer at Haileybury Girls College.Credit: Joe Armao
Students at the bayside college achieved a median VCE study score of 36 in this year’s exams, and just under 30 per cent of its year-12s achieved study scores of 40 or more.
Top of the charts this year across all sectors, and for the third year in a row, was Ballarat Clarendon College – with a median study score of 37 – which continues to buck the trend of Melbourne schools dominating the rankings. Clarendon College was followed closely by Mount Waverley’s Huntingtower School.
Three other schools also achieved a median study score of 37 to round out this year’s top five: Mount Scopus Memorial College, Yeshivah College and Ruyton Girls’ School, which returned to very top of the rankings for the first time in 10 years.
Haileybury principal and chief executive Derek Scott said the college, where senior school fees will be just under $40,000 in 2025, had had a great year.
“When I say great year, it is consistent with what our expectations are for performance every year, to be in that top range,” Scott said.
“We have the highest expectations of our students and our staff, making sure that everyone understands there is a reward for effort. “That’s the good thing about the VCE; you get a reward for effort.”
Scott also pointed to the school’s solid academic foundations in literacy and numeracy – with a sharp focus on explicit instruction and phonics – as a launching pad for VCE success.
“Haileybury was the No.1-ranked primary school in NAPLAN this year for year 5, and it was in the top two or three in year 9,” he said.
“You’ve got to build those foundations first. Our data shows us, the longer the students are with us, the better they do.”
Jing Ru Zhang, a member of Haileybury’s class of 2024, scored a perfect ATAR of 99.95 and hopes to study a bachelor of science at the University of Melbourne next year.
The 18-year-old cites strong time management, an open-door approach from her teachers, a “healthy amount of pressure” and asking lots of questions as key factors in her exam success.
“If you’re unsure about something, you should go and ask your teachers, ask your classmates, ask the internet, ask anyone,” she said.
“Actively keeping track of your mistakes and reviewing those mistakes ... then maybe once every week or two, review those things, will definitely help students keep on improving and not be tripped up by the same things over and over again.”
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