2 hours ago
3
The rollout of gender quotas for entry into the state’s fully selective schools is expected to see the number of boys decline by about 1000 students over the next six years, an analysis of enrolment data shows.
Under the overhaul of the system announced last year there will be an equal number of places allocated for girls and boys at each co-ed selective school and opportunity class for entry from 2027.
An extra 180 places will be added to Sydney Girls over the next six years to help equalise the total number of places for both sexes, one of the most significant additions to the fully selective system in decades.
Female students have long been underrepresented in NSW selective schools. Last year, 58 per cent of students in the selective system were boys and 42 per cent were girls.
While the number of boys is expected to drop, a Herald analysis of enrolment data reveals once gender parity is in place across each co-ed school, there would be more places for male students overall because there are five boys’ schools and four girls’ schools.
To address that, Sydney Girls will begin adding 30 extra students for each year 7 cohort from next year.
Additionally, the introduction of girls at Farrer Agricultural High School near Tamworth when it goes co-ed in the coming years is also expected to add up to 300 girls to the system and further balance the gender difference. It says boys’ places will not be reduced when girls enrol.
The analysis is based 2025 enrolment levels and assumes selective schools are fully subscribed.
The head of Sydney Girls High School, Rachel Powell, said the additional spots at her school would address a historical enrolment imbalance between it and neighbouring Sydney Boys High School. Last year there were 929 students at Sydney Girls compared to 1205 at Sydney Boys.
“There’s an obvious inequity there,” she said.
Powell, who was principal at co-ed James Ruse before heading up Sydney Girls, said quotas would help combat parent perception that boys were overrepresented in selective schools.
“I’ll give you an example at James Ruse, when we did one of the school tours, a family said to me, ‘Oh, we’re really glad we came on this tour because we’ve been told that there’s only one girl in every classroom’,” she said.
“Regularly I would have parents of girls who’ve got places at James Ruse saying to me, ‘Do you think my daughter will be able to cope at the school?’ And I never, ever had that conversation with a parent of a boy.”
Some parents are also more reluctant to allow their daughter to travel long distances unaccompanied to get to school – which Powell cautioned against.
“They might seem tiny and vulnerable now, and it’s kind of [it could be] gut-wrenching to pop them on a train or public transport, but they quickly grow and adapt, and don’t let transportation be something that means you’re going to not accept a place for your daughter.”
She said the Department of Education would modify Sydney Girls to accommodate the extra students over time.
While some comprehensive schools have had to contend with housing students in demountables, successive governments have avoided growing the fully selective system. The Berejiklian government announced plans to build the first selective school in Leppington five years ago but Labor wound back that plan to just a single class.
The gender quota system comes after the previous government reserved 20 per cent of spots for equity groups so long as they scored within a certain range.
On Friday, 17,808 students are expected to sit the application test, with girls making up 45 per cent of applicants and boys making up 55 per cent.
Australian Tutoring Association head Mohan Dhall said the government should lift the enrolment caps, putting them on a level playing field with comprehensives, which must take more students and house them in demountables.
“They should lift the enrolment cap, and have more people moving into the schools so the boys don’t have to miss out. It should be lifted in line with the rising population of NSW,” he said.
“Westfield Sports doesn’t have gender quotas, the performing arts schools don’t have it. Wouldn’t it be better to have the kids not write their gender when they sit the test?”
A NSW Department of Education spokeswoman said: “For opportunity classes with 15 places, the department will allocate seven places to girls, seven to boys, with the remaining spot to be filled based on academic merit, irrespective of gender.
“The department is adding 90 year 7 selective high school places for 2027,” she said.
“Entry to opportunity classes and selective high schools will continue to be based on performance in the placement test.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
