Selective school

Did You Know?

• In New York City, students must take the competitive Specialized High Schools Admissions Test for admittance to one of eight specialized high schools.
• NODET was first founded in 1976 as the National Iranian Organization for Gifted and Talented Education and re-established in 1987.

Australia

In New South Wales, selective high schools are government-run and admit students by academic ability, typically entering in Year 7 after sitting the Selective High Schools Test the previous year. The process resembles university admissions, with students ranking preferences and being chosen based on test performance. New South Wales has more selective and partially selective schools than other states. Victoria has four non-specialised selective schools: Melbourne High School, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Nossal High School, and Suzanne Cory High School.

Specialist selective schools include the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, John Monash Science School, and Maribyrnong College, while The University High School operates the Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences subschool. Over 40 schools in Victoria offer Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) programs, allowing gifted students to complete secondary education in five years or their Victorian Certificate of Education in three. Entrance examinations are required for fully selective schools and most SEAL programs.

United Kingdom

Most government-funded secondary schools in the UK are non-selective comprehensives, but 163 grammar schools remain in several English counties, selecting pupils via the eleven-plus examination, an internally set and moderated exam, or both. No selective state schools exist in Scotland or Wales, though private schools there typically require entrance tests. Areas with grammar schools include Bexley, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Medway Towns, Slough, Southend, Torbay, and Trafford. Several other areas have a non-selective system but contain at least one selective school, such as Barnet, Birmingham, and Essex. A smaller number of partially selective schools also exist in England.

Germany

After four years of elementary school, Germany's public school system becomes selective. The Gymnasium, spanning grades 5 through 12 or 13, prepares students for university, while the Realschule is another selective option with lower standards, ending at grade 10. This system's advantages and drawbacks are frequently debated, and many parents push for their children to attend Gymnasium. Gymnasium attendance rose sharply in the late 1900s, becoming the majority in many regions. Consequently, the non-selective Hauptschule was left mainly with lower-aptitude students. Around 1997, some German states began merging the Realschule and Hauptschule, abandoning the three-tier model.