VCE 2021: Ballarat Clarendon, East Loddon, Wycheproof, Apollo Bay make top 10 rural schools
The top 10 list includes two Ballarat campuses and three tiny rural schools that show isolation is no barrier to academic success.
Ballarat schools have shown why the regional city is known as Victoria’s centre of educational excellence.
Two Ballarat campuses ranked in the state’s top 10 country schools in VCE performance this year, while three tiny rural P-12 colleges were the top government schools in the list.
Building on its history of strong results, Ballarat Clarendon College topped the list with a median study score of 37, and Ballarat Grammar came in at No.10, with a median of 32.
Ballarat Clarendon’s strong results placed it third in the state overall, behind Melbourne schools Haileybury Girls College and Bialik College, which also had median study scores of 37.
VCE 2021: TOP 10 REGIONAL AND RURAL SCHOOLS
1. BALLARAT CLARENDON COLLEGE, BALLARAT
Median study score: 37
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 32.5
2. ALICE MILLER SCHOOL, MACEDON
Median study score: 35
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 14.2
3. GOULBURN VALLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL, SHEPPARTON
Median study score: 34
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 17.4
4. GIRTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BENDIGO
Median study score: 33
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 18.2
5. THE GEELONG COLLEGE, NEWTOWN
Median study score: 33
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 15.6
6. PENINSULA GRAMMAR, MOUNT ELIZA
Median study score: 33
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 14.7
7. EAST LODDON P-12 COLLEGE, DINGEE
Median study score: 33
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 9.5
8. WYCHEPROOF P-12 COLLEGE, WYCHEPROOF
Median study score: 33
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 9.1
9. APOLLO BAY P-12 COLLEGE, APOLLO BAY
Median study score: 33
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 5.4
10. BALLARAT GRAMMAR, WENDOUREE
Median study score: 32
Per cent of study scores 40-plus: 13.3
Ballarat Clarendon principal David Shepherd said the school was “exceptionally proud” of its Year 12 students.
“Over these past two years of turbulence, these kids have been courageous and resilient,” he said. “They have demonstrated enormous determination and shown tremendous compassion and support for one another. Their teachers and their families have been there for them – guiding and caring for them. Such a great team.”
While private schools dominated the list, East Loddon P-12College, Wycheproof P-12 College and Apollo Bay P-12 College all punched well above their weight, achieving median study scores of 33.
East Loddon principal Steve Leed said “the school was just a buzz” since receiving the results last week.
“We are extremely proud of all the students and extremely proud of the staff,” he said.
East Loddon has continually improved its VCE results every year for at least the past five.
Mr Leed said this group of Year 12s had also given the wider community something to celebrate after such a difficult year.
“It was a great way to finish it with such positivity around the school and in the wider community,” he said.
Wycheproof P-12 principal Christine McKersie said the small Wimmera school’s results were “great news”, but not unexpected.
Wycheproof students have consistently returned strong VCE results over the past decade.
“We do every now and again pop up in the newspaper,” Ms McKersie said.
“We know that when we’ve got a good cohort of students who are determined to do well, we know we have the academic program to get them there.”
But the students deserved much of the credit this year, she said.
“They have been tenacious in their drive to get through two very difficult years.
“They came into school when they needed to. Did the hard yards at home when they had to during remote learning. We just congratulate them all for being so dedicated to their studies.”
Apollo Bay principal Tiffany Holt said the results showed rurality and isolation were no barrier to high academic achievement.
“We’re just ecstatic and so proud of our students given that this year’s Year 12s have had two years of VCE disrupted by Covid and remote learning.
“For them to stay so engaged and work so hard and achieve what they have is just remarkable.”
Over the course of the year, students in Victoria endured up to seven stints of remote learning, some imposed with little warning.
It wasn’t just students subjected to the stress of repeat lockdowns.
Teachers had also been under extraordinary pressure, Ms Holt said.
“I think something that is really important to acknowledge is the resilience of our teachers,” she said. “They have worked incredibly hard to keep the kids fully engaged and committed.
“I certainly have lost a few to burnout. I have a few staff who are taking a year off, and a couple who are stepping out of leadership positions because they are so tired; they need a break.”
Macedon’s small Alice Miller School was the second-highest achieving country campus, with a median study score of 35.
Shepparton’s Goulburn Valley Grammar School, Bendigo’s Girton Grammar School and The Geelong College in Newtown rounded out the top five.
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