What it measures
The final school-level placement figure NSW published for 2021 entry, grouped into transparent bands.
Independent NSW research guide · checked 1 August 2026
NSW Selective School Tier List: historical demand, clearly labelled.
Compare the last published 2021 entry signal with each school's current 2027 intake. The tiers show old offer competition only, not which school is best and not the score needed now.
Read this first
A tier is one historical signal, not a verdict on a school.
What it cannot tell you
Current cut-offs, offer probability, teaching quality, wellbeing, value added or whether the school suits your child.
What is current
The school provision, location, setting and published 2027 Year 7 places shown beside every row.
What changed
The scoring system, computer-based test, equity model, capacities and 2027 gender settings all post-date the old figures.
There is no responsible current cut-off table. NSW Education says the performance needed changes with applicant numbers, relative performance, available places and declined offers. It does not release current individual test scores or placement ranks.
Methodology
Every letter has a visible rule.
Very high historical demand
225 and above
High historical demand
215 to 224
Strong historical demand
200 to 214
Moderate historical demand
185 to 199
Broader historical demand
170 to 184
Local historical baseline
169 and below
Special or unrated
No fit-for-band comparison
Historical evidence
Useful, but deliberately secondary.
The original NSW historical dataset is no longer available on the current portal. We use a complete 2021 reproduction attributed to NSW Education. No estimated recent cut-offs are used.
Current evidence
Places and pathways are kept separate.
Current 2027 places, new provisions, alternating intakes and special pathways come from NSW Education. A larger intake is not treated as proof that a school is easier to enter.
Searchable school explorer
Find a school, then read the current details beside its old signal.
Search by school or suburb. Filters change what is shown, but they do not recalculate or predict a current admission threshold.
49 of 49 school provisions shown
225 and above
Tier S: Very high historical demand
James Ruse Agricultural High School
Carlingford
AgriculturalCoeducational
Former 2021 figure248
Published 2027 places120
Day agricultural program.
Baulkham Hills High School
Baulkham Hills
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure233
Published 2027 places180
North Sydney Boys High School
Crows Nest
Fully selectiveBoys
Former 2021 figure228
Published 2027 places150
215 to 224
Tier A: High historical demand
Hornsby Girls High School
Hornsby
Fully selectiveGirls
Former 2021 figure221
Published 2027 places120
Girraween High School
Girraween
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure220
Published 2027 places120
North Sydney Girls High School
Crows Nest
Fully selectiveGirls
Former 2021 figure220
Published 2027 places150
Sydney Boys High School
Surry Hills
Fully selectiveBoys
Former 2021 figure220
Published 2027 places180
Normanhurst Boys High School
Normanhurst
Fully selectiveBoys
Former 2021 figure217
Published 2027 places120
Fort Street High School
Petersham
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure216
Published 2027 places150
Sydney Girls High School
Surry Hills
Fully selectiveGirls
Former 2021 figure215
Published 2027 places180
200 to 214
Tier B: Strong historical demand
Chatswood High School
Chatswood
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure214
Published 2027 places60
Penrith High School
Penrith
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure209
Published 2027 places150
Northern Beaches Secondary College Manly Campus
North Curl Curl
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure208
Published 2027 places120
Parramatta High School
Parramatta
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure204
Published 2027 places60
Hurlstone Agricultural High School
Glenfield
AgriculturalCoeducational
Former 2021 figure202
Published 2027 places180 total
150 day places and 30 boarding places. Boarding requirements also apply.
St George Girls High School
Kogarah
Fully selectiveGirls
Former 2021 figure201
Published 2027 places150
185 to 199
Tier C: Moderate historical demand
Ryde Secondary College
Ryde
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure198
Published 2027 places60
Sydney Technical High School
Bexley
Fully selectiveBoys
Former 2021 figure198
Published 2027 places150
Caringbah High School
Caringbah
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure194
Published 2027 places150
Blacktown Girls High School
Blacktown
Partially selectiveGirls
Former 2021 figure192
Published 2027 places30
Blacktown Boys High School
Blacktown
Partially selectiveBoys
Former 2021 figure191
Published 2027 places30
Tempe High School
Tempe
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure189
Published 2027 places60
Includes targeted places for Aboriginal students.
Sefton High School
Sefton
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure188
Published 2027 places88
Gosford High School
Gosford
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure187
Published 2027 places180
Sydney Secondary College Leichhardt Campus
Leichhardt
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure187
Published 2027 places60
Selective intake operates in Years 7 to 10.
170 to 184
Tier D: Broader historical demand
Merewether High School
Broadmeadow
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure184
Published 2027 places180
Smiths Hill High School
Wollongong
Fully selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure184
Published 2027 places120
Prairiewood High School
Wetherill Park
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure181
Published 2027 places60
Sydney Secondary College Balmain Campus
Rozelle
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure181
Published 2027 places60
Selective intake operates in Years 7 to 10.
Macquarie Fields High School
Macquarie Fields
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure178
Published 2027 places90
Alexandria Park Community School
Alexandria
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure176
Published 2027 places30
Includes targeted places for Aboriginal students.
Moorebank High School
Moorebank
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure171
Published 2027 places60
Rose Bay Secondary College
Dover Heights
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure171
Published 2027 places60
Includes targeted places for Aboriginal students.
169 and below
Tier E: Local historical baseline
Bonnyrigg High School
Bonnyrigg
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure165
Published 2027 places60
Armidale Secondary College
Armidale
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure162
Published 2027 places30
Elizabeth Macarthur High School
Narellan Vale
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure161
Published 2027 places60
Auburn Girls High School
Auburn
Partially selectiveGirls
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
Gorokan High School
Gorokan
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
Grafton High School
Grafton
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
Granville Boys High School
Granville
Partially selectiveBoys
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
Karabar High School
Queanbeyan
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
Kooringal High School
Kooringal
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
Peel High School
Tamworth
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places30
No fit-for-band comparison
Special or unrated
Aurora College
Rural and remote NSW
OnlineSpecial pathway
Former 2021 figure160
Published 2027 places100
The former figure is shown, but this online host-school pathway is kept outside the bands because it is not directly comparable.
Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School
Tamworth
AgriculturalBoys
Former 2021 figureNot rated
Published 2027 places110 total
50 day places and 60 boarding places. Boarding applications are a separate pathway.
Yanco Agricultural High School
Yanco
AgriculturalCoeducational
Former 2021 figureNot rated
Published 2027 places60 boarding
Boarding-only pathway with a separate application process.
Richmond Agricultural College
Richmond
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figureNot rated
Published 2027 places30
New agricultural stream without comparable 2021 history.
Leppington High School (provisional name)
Leppington
Partially selectiveCoeducational
Former 2021 figureNot rated
Published 2027 places30
Scheduled to open for 2027 entry and has no historical signal.
Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay Campus
Glebe
Senior campusSpecial pathway
Former 2021 figureNot rated
Published 2027 placesNo direct Year 7 intake
Years 11 and 12 progression campus, not a separate Year 7 choice.
Choose for fit
Use the tier after the practical questions, not before them.
Travel and routine
Test the real weekday journey, transport reliability and time left for sleep, friends and activities.
Learning environment
Compare class structure, school size, support, extracurriculars and how the student responds to academic intensity.
Current pathway rules
Check eligibility, boarding, online, agricultural, targeted-place or alternating-intake conditions on the official page.
Genuine preference order
Only list schools the child would actually attend. Preference position does not add marks to a placement result.
Compare the other pathway
Planning earlier? Open the OC school guide.
Source audit
See exactly where the evidence came from.
Official current sourceNSW Education: current selective schools and 2027 Year 7 placesOfficial current sourceNSW Education: outcomes and why minimum entry scores are not publishedOfficial current sourceNSW Education: placement policy, equity and selection proceduresOfficial current sourceNSW Education: fair access and 2027 gender parityHistorical reproductionHistorical 2021 score table reproduced by Global Education Academy
Last checked 1 August 2026. School choices and place numbers can change. Recheck the NSW Education directory before submitting an application.
From comparison to preparation