NSW has long had an obsession with selective schooling. Currently, there are 48 selective schools in the state, which is more than the number of selective schools in all the other seven states and territories combined. There are four selective schools each in Victoria and Queensland, just one in Western Australia, and none in Canberra.
NSW’s greater number of selective schools is attributed to the unique way the state responded to the growing demand for public secondary schooling. Selective schooling in NSW began in the 1880s, as the demand for universal secondary schooling increased, a parallel system was established from the 1920s which differentiated students and schools based on student IQ. Economic expansion post-WW2 increased pressure for more schools and secondary schooling, which only increased the opportunities for more selective schools. Despite emerging criticism of selective schooling in the late 20th century, its continued growth was aided by Terry Metherell, who in 1988 sought to increase the accessibility of selective schools for families from the outer suburbs, which in turn resulted in their growth across the outer suburbs of Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong.
Despite their growing prominence in NSW over the past century, the Department of Education, successive governments, and peak educational groups have long neglected the downsides of selective schooling, notably the segregation and disadvantage that it creates within our education system.
Selective schools are by definition not accessible to all, particularly those from disadvantaged lower socio-economic backgrounds. Amongst other factors they are unable to afford the very expensive tutoring fees, of around $700-1,200 for ten weeks of classes that so many students often receive to pass the highly-competitive entrance exams, to secure a place at one of these top-level selective schools from an early age. In 2024, 17,088 children sat a selective entrance exam for around only 4,248 places. A 2018 review by the NSW Department of Education found that students living in rural and remote areas, those with a disability, and Indigenous students were heavily under-represented in selective schools.
Research has consistently highlighted that a high proportion of students in selective schools are from advantaged households, locking out the students who would most benefit from the increased support and resources. For example, 73% of students in NSW’s selective schools come from the highest quarter of socio-economic advantage. Prominent selective school James Ruse, who up until last year topped the HSC league tables for 27 consecutive years, has 89% of its student body from the top SEA quarter. Just 2% of students statewide attending selective schools come from the lowest quarter of SEA.
This streaming results in students who are locked out of the selective system continuing to fall behind even further over time. Often placed in lower ability groups, where mobility is difficult and the best teaching and resources are absent, comprehensive public schools struggle to remain competitive. Notably, selective schools consistently dominate the top of the HSC school rankings. In 2023 eight of the top ten schools in the state were selective.
Furthermore, students in these selective schools are deprived of the optimal potential learning opportunities comprehensive schools are designed to provide. A raft of educational research over time has revealed that children learn best in diverse academic and social environments. Mixed-ability classrooms help promote greater understanding, self-confidence, and interaction amongst a student body of varied ability. Students from these schools often miss out on the benefits of mixed-ability classrooms and may develop negative perceptions of the students deemed to not be as smart as them.
NSW’s education system would benefit from a system that wasn’t so obsessed with selectivity. Not only do these students often miss out on the benefits of a more well-rounded comprehensive education. But the streamlining of our schooling based on intelligence at a young age exacerbates the inequality and disadvantage of educational outcomes for students from a lower socio-economic background.
