source : the age
Students at public schools in Perth’s western and southern suburbs have topped the charts when it comes to achieving high grades in their ATAR courses for 2024.
Christ Church Grammar, the highest-scoring private school, joined Shenton College, Perth Modern, Rossmoyne Senior High School and Willetton Senior High School at the top of a list of schools, ranked by the number of subjects where students scored in the top 15 per cent when compared to the rest of the cohort.
Regionally, the schools listed excelled mostly in biology and English, while students at schools listed in the eastern suburbs of Perth were geared more towards niche subjects including business management and enterprise, engineering, outdoor education and religion and life.
The eastern suburbs and regional schools listed had a maximum of two subjects where students were in the top 15 per cent, but in Perth’s inner and western suburbs the number was as high as 24.
Shenton College, the state’s biggest school, offered ATAR courses that few other schools did.
For example, just 11 schools offered food science and technology, 10 offered ancient history and just four offered integrated science – all of which Shenton was top of the class in.
Other schools to record high scores in multiple subjects were in a similar boat, offering options such as marine and maritime studies, philosophy and ethics, Chinese as a second language, and career and enterprise.
Perth Modern, which placed second on the list, is also entirely academically selective, while schools like Rossmoyne offer specialist entry programs.
Edith Cowan University School of Education associate professor Brad Gobby said many schools did not have the funding and enrolments needed to provide students with a comprehensive curriculum that included a plethora ATAR subjects, if any at all.
“These students are therefore unfairly having their curriculum choices narrowed,” he said.
“This can be caused by the demographics of their neighbourhoods and, in research I have conducted, that other schools are poaching or attracting their ATAR-bound students.
“While there are exceptions, the list (of top-performing schools) is comprised of WA’s elite and advantaged private and public schools.
“The education system’s entrenching of the socio-economic divide is overwhelmingly reflected.”
Overall, 89 schools across the state had one or more course with students in the top 15 per cent – 12 of those had 10 or more.
This is a slight decline on 2023, when 15 schools recorded high scorers in 10 or more subjects.
There were 212 schools with an enrolment of 20 or more full-time WACE-eligible year 12 students, up from 200 in 2023.
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