Specialty & excellence schools
Many schools run specialist programs — aviation, health & medical sciences, STEM, sport academies, language immersion, the creative arts, academic-selective entry — that most families never hear about. 185 schools tagged (QLD curated + NSW & VIC specialist/select-entry schools).
Sources: QLD programs © State of Queensland (Dept of Education), CC BY 4.0; NSW specialist & selective schools © NSW Dept of Education; VIC select-entry high schools © State of Victoria. Two kinds of row, not one: 25 were recorded from a page that names the school, and 171 are derived by us from a flag in the NSW feed — their program name is ours, they carry no entry marker because nothing we hold says how entry works there, and their link goes to the department’s general specialisation page, which does not name the school. Use the specialty-program filter in the directory to combine this with location, sector and the score.
Listed alphabetically within each state — this is an alphabetical list, not a ranking, and we do not rate schools. The 4 largest categories have a page of their own, which explains what that kind of program is, what the entry and selectivity labels on each row mean, and what we do not hold. The smaller categories are listed in full below — for them, the handful of schools is the whole answer.
Academic (Selective) (138)
- Alexandria Park Community School Alexandria, NSW — Academically selective entry
- Alstonville Public School Alstonville, NSW — Opportunity Class (gifted primary)
- Armidale City Public School Armidale, NSW — Opportunity Class (gifted primary)
- Armidale Secondary College Armidale, NSW — Academically selective entry
- Artarmon Public School Artarmon, NSW — Opportunity Class (gifted primary)
- Ashfield Public School Ashfield, NSW — Opportunity Class (gifted primary)
- Auburn Girls High School Auburn, NSW — Academically selective entry
- Aurora College Lindfield, NSW — Academically selective entry
- Balgowlah Heights Public School Balgowlah, NSW — Opportunity Class (gifted primary)
- Balmain Public School Balmain, NSW — Opportunity Class (gifted primary)
All 138 Academic (Selective) schools, by state, and what the labels mean ▸
Sport Excellence (14)
- Alexandra Hills State High School Alexandra Hills, QLD — Basketball Academy Capped program places
- Brisbane State High School South Brisbane, QLD — Sporting selective entry — AFL, cricket, football, rugby, netball, rowing & more By trial / selection
- Cavendish Road State High School Holland Park, QLD — Sporting excellence programs By trial / selection
- Endeavour Sports High School Caringbah, NSW — Sports specialist school
- Hunter Sports High School Gateshead, NSW — Sports specialist school
- Illawarra Sports High School Berkeley, NSW — Sports specialist school
- Kelvin Grove State College Kelvin Grove, QLD — Sport Excellence — football, golf, tennis, volleyball By trial / selection
- Kirwan State High School Kirwan, QLD — Rugby League Academy (NRL pathway) By trial / selection
- Matraville Sports High School Chifley, NSW — Sports specialist school
- Narrabeen Sports High School North Narrabeen, NSW — Sports specialist school
All 14 Sport Excellence schools, by state, and what the labels mean ▸
Creative & Performing Arts (11)
- Campbelltown Performing Arts High School Campbelltown, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Conservatorium High School Sydney, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design Dulwich Hill, NSW — Visual Arts specialist school
- Granville South Creative and Performing Arts High School Guildford, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Hunter School of Performing Arts Broadmeadow, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Kelvin Grove State College Kelvin Grove, QLD — Dance Centre of Excellence By trial / selection
- Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School Emu Plains, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Newtown High School of Performing Arts Newtown, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School Northmead, NSW — Performing Arts specialist school
- Queensland Academy for Creative Industries Kelvin Grove, QLD — IB Diploma, creative industries (QUT partner) Selective — academic test
All 11 Creative & Performing Arts schools, by state, and what the labels mean ▸
STEM & Technology (11)
- Alexandra Hills State High School Alexandra Hills, QLD — Automation & Robotics Centre of Excellence Capped program places
- Doonside High School Doonside, NSW — Technology specialist school
- East Hills Girls Technology High School Panania, NSW — Technology specialist school
- Glendale Technology High School Glendale, NSW — Technology specialist school
- Gymea Technology High School Gymea, NSW — Technology specialist school
- John Monash Science School Clayton, VIC — Select-entry STEM specialist school (Monash University partner) Selective — academic test
- John Paul College Daisy Hill, QLD — IT, natural sciences, performing arts & sport specialisms; 9 VET certificates Independent (fee-paying)
- Keira High School Fairy Meadow, NSW — Technology specialist school
- Miller High School Miller, NSW — Technology specialist school
- Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology Toowong, QLD — IB Diploma, STEM focus (University of Queensland partner) Selective — academic test
All 11 STEM & Technology schools, by state, and what the labels mean ▸
Languages & Immersion (9)
- Blakehurst High School Blakehurst, NSW — Language specialist school
- Kenmore State High School Kenmore, QLD — German Immersion Program (incl. exchange) By application
- Kirrawee High School Kirrawee, NSW — Language specialist school
- Mansfield State High School Mansfield, QLD — French Immersion Program of Excellence By application
- NSW School of Languages Petersham, NSW — Language specialist school
- Prairiewood High School Prairiewood, NSW — Language specialist school
- Secondary College of Languages Parramatta, NSW — Language specialist school
- Strathfield Girls High School Strathfield, NSW — Language specialist school
- Tempe High School Tempe, NSW — Language specialist school
Agriculture (5)
- Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School Calala, NSW — Agricultural specialist school
- Hurlstone Agricultural High School Glenfield, NSW — Agricultural specialist school
- James Ruse Agricultural High School Carlingford, NSW — Agricultural specialist school
- Richmond Agricultural Centre Richmond, NSW — Agricultural specialist school
- Yanco Agricultural High School Yanco, NSW — Agricultural specialist school
Marine & Environmental (3)
- Coorparoo Secondary College Coorparoo, QLD — Marine Studies Centre of Excellence Capped program places
- Eden Marine High School Eden, NSW — Marine Technology specialist school
- Sunshine Beach State High School Sunshine Beach, QLD — Surfing Centre of Excellence Capped program places
Aviation & Aerospace (1)
- Aviation High Hendra, QLD — Take Flight aviation & Aerospace Engineering; P-TECH data analytics Capped program places
Music (1)
- Gympie State High School Gympie, QLD — Country Music Centre of Excellence Capped program places
Health & Medical Sciences (1)
- Queensland Academy for Health Sciences Southport, QLD — IB Diploma, health & medical sciences (Griffith University partner) Selective — academic test