Richmond's selective AgSTEM stream has 15 Year 7 places for boys and as many for girls for entry in 2027, through the Selective test, next held on 13–14 May 2027. Its Specialty stream uses interview and folio instead.
Richmond has two streams in Year 7. Places in the Academically Selective AgSTEM stream come only through the Selective test, while the AgSTEM Specialty stream skips it.
That's what partially selective means here: selective classes inside a local high school. Decide which stream you want, or plan for both, since they're separate applications.
Selective stream
Specialty stream
How you apply
The Department's application, up to 3 choices
by interview and folio, applied for directly with the Centre
What decides it
test performance and the order of your school choices
Interview and folio
Entry in 2027
Through the Selective test
Opened 21 February 2026; Round 1 closed 21 July 2026, 3 pm (Sydney time); after that, applications went on a waitlist, considered only if a vacancy arose
The Department has published these dates; it hasn't set the outcome day yet. There's no local drawing area, so you can apply to any selective school, in or out of your area. Your family must be living in NSW by the start of the entry year; conditions may apply to non-citizens.
List only schools you would genuinely like your child to attend, in your real order. First place adds no weight, and declining a higher offer won't bring a Richmond offer instead. How to order your choices.
For entry in 2027, the selective stream has 15 Year 7 places for boys and as many for girls: co-ed schools have equal places for girls and boys from the 2027 intake. The Specialty intake is a Year 7 class of up to 30 students. Places for entry in 2028 are not published yet.
How selective places are shared
The rule
Under-represented groups
Up to 20% of places held, still offered on test performance
Selective students use two sites in the Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains region: Richmond High School, at Lennox St, Richmond NSW 2753, and the Centre. In Years 7 to 10 they spend 60% of the timetable at the Centre on the Western Sydney University/TAFE campus, and 40% at Richmond High School.
Check the trip from home to each site before you list it. The Department notes that less travel could reduce harm to schoolwork and wellbeing; eligible students can get free or subsidised travel to and from school. Plan your commute.
Richmond calls itself a city based AgSTEM school for Sydney, and Greater Western Sydney in particular. It runs two campuses; the selective stream studies agriculture, so agriculture isn't an elective here.
Ask your child whether agriculture, science and sustainability sound like them, and how they'd feel about a week split between sites.
What to weigh
At Richmond
What it teaches
Agriculture, STEM, Sustainability, Aboriginal Knowledges and Transition Pathways
Your child
Their interests and abilities, academic and co-curricular needs, social and emotional needs, and any specialised support
Students
750 full-time-equivalent students at Richmond High School in the Department's latest count
Visiting
The Department says visiting is the best way to learn about a school
We aren't part of the college; see its Enrolment page to book a visit.
Possibly, in Years 8 to 10, if a place opens. You need the Department's form and the college's own AgSTEM application, so the paperwork is heavier than for Year 7.
Later entry
At Richmond
What you send for Years 8 to 10
The Department's form, plus a portfolio with answers to four questions and one personal narrative
Entry in 2027
Ran 17 June 2026 to 24 July 2026
Entry in 2028
Dates not published yet
Years 11 and 12
full-time study at the Centre in Years 11 and 12, entered like the Specialty stream
Years 11 and 12, entry in 2027
Applications ran from 21 February to 3 pm on 21 May 2026
The portfolio is in your child's own words, so give them time.
The Selective test, sat in Year 6; it's the same test for every selective school. Its 4 sections are Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing; the test guide has the counts and times.
The Department says coaching is not necessary, and warns that too much coaching can harm wellbeing. Read this worked Thinking Skills question together.
Worked explanation 1
A square sheet of paper is marked into a 4 × 4 grid. The columns are labelled A to D from left to right, and the rows are numbered 1 to 4 from top to bottom.
A
B
C
D
1
A1
B1
C1
D1
2
A2
B2
C2
D2
3
A3
B3
C3
D3
4
A4
B4
C4
D4
Fold 1: The left half (columns A and B) is folded over so that it lies exactly on top of the right half (columns C and D).
Fold 2: The bottom half is then folded up so that it lies exactly on top of the top half.
The folded paper now covers only the places where squares C1, D1, C2 and D2 were. One hole is punched through all the layers at the place where square D2 was.
The paper is unfolded. Which squares have a hole in them?
AA.
A2 and D2 only
BB.
A2, D2, A3 and D3
CC.
D2 and D3 only
DD.
B2, C2, B3 and C3
Answer: B
Answer: B (A2, D2, A3 and D3)
Work out which squares are stacked at the punch place, one fold at a time. Each fold line acts like a mirror.
Fold 1 lays column A on column D (and B on C). So A2 lies on top of D2.
Fold 2 lays row 4 on row 1 and row 3 on row 2. So D3, with A3 lying on it, lands on top of D2.
Four layers are stacked at D2: D2, A2, D3 and A3. The punch goes through all four, so each has a hole.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This forgets Fold 2, so it misses the two layers from row 3.
C: This forgets Fold 1, so it misses the two layers from column A.
D: This puts the holes beside the fold lines instead of reflecting D2 the full distance across each fold.
To see how your child handles the real timing, sit a Selective practice test. It's one full practice test with results, with a free account, and the results show where marks went.
Across NSW, about a quarter of test takers win a place, so choose your other schools with care. The nearest are in Penrith and Blacktown; Hurlstone and James Ruse suit a child who wants a fully agricultural school.
Partly: it is one of 27 partially selective NSW high schools. Only the selective stream's places come through the test.
How do Richmond High School and the college fit together?
The Department's list names Richmond High School for the selective places, and Richmond Agricultural College runs across two campuses; the selective stream studies agriculture. In Years 7 to 10, selective students spend 60% of the timetable at the Centre on the Western Sydney University/TAFE campus, and 40% at Richmond High School.
Is there a cut-off score for Richmond?
No. There is no set minimum entry score; the level depends on how many children apply, how they perform, the places available and how many offers are declined.
Reserve-list progress and rankings are not published, so treat any cut-off online as a guess. The Department suggests you ask friends, family and your community about their experiences.
Does Richmond charge fees?
No school fees: selective schools charge no attendance fees, except boarding.
Cost
What applies
Contributions
at the discretion of parents and carers, capped at A$110 in 2026
Subjects
Contributions only for elective and senior (Stage 6) subjects, never mandatory core subjects