Selective schools will now have an equal number of places for boys and girls. Photo: NSW Department of Education.
NSW selective school and opportunity class applications for 2027 will open on 6 November, with the State Government aiming to address what it has characterised as a growing gender imbalance in coeducational selective schools.
The intake for 2027 will be the first to have an equal number of places for girls and boys at all selective and partially selective high schools, in addition to opportunity classes in public primary schools.
The policy to correct an imbalance is due largely to a decline in girls accepting and applying for places in opportunity classes and coeducational selective schools.
Selective high schools have a gender mix of about 58 per cent boys and 42 per cent girls, while in opportunity classes the numbers stand at 60 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.
Selective schools’ gender imbalances have been growing in recent years. In 2019, 45 per cent of Year 7 places were filled by girls and that number has dropped to 41 per cent in 2025.
Some cohorts far exceed the average disparity, with reports that some are 75 per cent male.
Feedback from parents shows that girls have concerns regarding the overrepresentation of boys in coeducational selective schools, leading some to not accept places they’ve been offered.
“The Minns Labor Government is working to provide opportunities for students to thrive, with applications to open for 2027 selective school and opportunity class entry in the coming weeks,” Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said.
“There’s a growing decline in girls accepting places in opportunity classes and selective high schools, and we want to ensure our schools have a healthy gender balance.”
An equal number of places is designed to mitigate this, creating a healthier gender balance across classes and schools.
Entry to opportunity classes and selective high schools for boys and girls will continue to be based on performance in a placement test.
New changes will not affect those students currently enrolled at selective high schools or opportunity classes, or those who have already been offered places.
Applications for entry in 2027 will close on 20 February, 2026, and testing will be conducted at local public school settings from 2026.
