What is selective education?
Selective education is one of the ways that the department supports students with high academic potential. Selective education includes selective high schools and opportunity classes.
Selective education has many benefits, including:
- Students learn alongside, and form friendships with, other high potential and gifted classmates.
- Special teaching methods allow students to learn at a quicker pace and in more detail.
- Research shows that students benefit both academically and socially when learning with classmates who have similar abilities.
Opportunity classes and selective high schools are not zoned so you can apply to ones outside your catchment area.
Use the following maps to find your closest:
What are opportunity classes?
Opportunity classes are offered in primary school from Years 5 to 6. Parents/carers apply when their child is in Year 4.
You can include up to 2 school choices when you are applying for an opportunity class.
What are selective high schools?
Selective high schools :
- fully selective high schools (where all students attending the school have high potential or are gifted)
- partially selective high schools (where a school has a specialist stream for high potential and gifted students within a comprehensive high school)
- selective agricultural high schools (day or boarding schools that emphasise the study of agriculture)
- Aurora College (a virtual selective high school – students attend a local host school and complete their English, mathematics and science lessons online with their Aurora classmates).
You can include up to 3 school choices when you are applying for a selective high school.
Is selective education the right fit for my child?
High potential and gifted students can be found across diverse family, socio-economic, language, cultural backgrounds and geographic locations.
Your child may have high academic potential if they demonstrate some of the following:
- enjoy learning
- have intense curiosity
- display a good memory
- ask complex questions
- enjoy learning new and often complex ideas or skills
- require fewer repetitions when learning new things
- are creative
- become intensely focused in their area/s of interest.
Note: Not all high potential and gifted students will display all of these characteristics, for example, due to disability, disadvantage or lack of opportunity.
Learn more about the department’s High Potential and Gifted Education Policy.
How do I apply for entry into an opportunity class or selective high school for my child?
Parents/carers should visit the selective high schools and opportunity classes website to learn more about opportunity classes and selective high schools and complete an online application.
