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NSW selective schools

NSW selective school minimum entry scores: how offers really work

6 min read ยท updated 2026-10-06

Parents search for 'cut-off scores' for James Ruse, North Sydney Boys or Baulkham Hills every year, but the NSW Department of Education does not set or publish minimum entry scores. The score needed for an offer is different every year, and the lists that circulate online are estimates. Here is how places are actually allocated, and what that means for your child.

There is no official minimum score

The Department states that there are no set minimum entry scores to receive an offer. The level of test performance a school needs depends on how many students apply, how they perform in the Selective High School Placement Test, how many places the school has and how many offers are declined.

Tables of 'cut-off scores' on coaching and forum sites are reconstructed from parents' reports. Treat them as rough guides at best: the test changed format in recent years, and from 2027 entry boys' and girls' places are allocated separately, so older figures are not comparable.

How offers are made

Each applicant sits the placement test in Year 6. Its four components (Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing) are each worth 25% and are combined into a total, and applicants are ranked on it. Offers then go down the ranking for each school in the order families listed their choices: a student is offered the highest-preference school their result reaches.

Two rules change who receives the last offers at each school:

  • โœ“ Equity places: up to 20% of places are held for high-potential students from under-represented groups (students from low socio-educational advantage areas, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, students in rural or remote areas, and students with disability). In 2025, 21.5% of accepted Year 7 places went to students from these groups.
  • โœ“ Equal places for boys and girls: from 2027 entry the Department offers the same number of selective places to boys and girls. At co-educational schools the score needed can therefore differ for boys and girls.

Year 7 places at the most sought-after schools

Places for Year 7 entry in 2027, from the Department's list. About 4,338 Year 7 selective places are available across NSW.

  • โœ“ James Ruse Agricultural High School (Carlingford): 120 (60 boys, 60 girls)
  • โœ“ Baulkham Hills High School: 180 (90 boys, 90 girls)
  • โœ“ North Sydney Boys High School (Crows Nest): 150
  • โœ“ North Sydney Girls High School (Crows Nest): 150
  • โœ“ Sydney Boys High School (Surry Hills): 180
  • โœ“ Sydney Girls High School (Surry Hills): 180
  • โœ“ Normanhurst Boys High School: 120
  • โœ“ Hornsby Girls High School: 120

Reserve lists and reserve bands

A student who misses a higher-choice school can be placed on its reserve list. When families decline offers, places pass to students on the reserve list in order. The Department gives a 'reserve band' estimate of how likely an offer is; it is only an estimate. In the last cycle, families had until 3 December 2026 to decide on reserve offers.

Appeals

Appeals are for illness, misadventure or other unforeseen circumstances that affected the test, and need supporting documents (medical evidence, for example; up to three documents). They are lodged through the application dashboard by the deadline, which was 26 August 2026 for 2027 entry. A panel including selective school principals decides, and its decisions are final. A result that was simply lower than hoped is not grounds for appeal.

What this means for preparation

Because no score guarantees a place, the useful target is a high total across all four components, and a list of school choices you would genuinely accept. Families who list only the hardest school risk no offer at all from a strong result.

  • โœ“ Strengthen the weakest component first: it costs the most marks.
  • โœ“ Practise on computer: the test is computer-based, including typed writing.
  • โœ“ Rank schools by where your child will thrive and can travel to; offers follow that order.

FAQs

What score do you need for James Ruse?๏ผ‹

There is no published minimum. It depends on that year's applicants and results; with 120 places it needs one of the highest totals in the state.

Does NSW publish selective school cut-off scores?๏ผ‹

No. The Department says there are no set minimum entry scores.

What are equity places in NSW selective schools?๏ผ‹

Up to 20% of places held for high-potential students from under-represented groups, including low socio-educational advantage areas, rural and remote areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students with disability.

When are selective results released?๏ผ‹

In August. For Year 7 entry in 2027, results came out on 19 August 2026.

Can I appeal a selective school result?๏ผ‹

Only for illness, misadventure or unforeseen circumstances, with supporting documents, by the appeal deadline.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these official sources on 2026-10-06.

Keep reading

James Ruse Agricultural High School โ†’Baulkham Hills High School โ†’Selective test tutoring in Sydney โ†’OC test dates โ†’

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Selective school test preparation โ†’Selective school test prep timing โ†’NSW selective test results explained โ†’The Victorian selective entry exam โ†’

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