Selective vs private school: how to decide for your child
Independent. Not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education.
Three facts decide it for most families: what your child wants, the daily trip and the full cost over six years. NSW selective high schools charge no attendance fees, and no Department ranking settles it.
Your child sits the Selective test either way. A free practice section needs no account.
What decides selective or private for most families?
Your child's wishes, the daily trip and the full cost. The Department names the first two itself, and the third is plain arithmetic over six years.
What your child wants
The Department says choosing a school your child wants to go to1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published is an important consideration.
The daily trip
A school close to home means less travel, more time for other activities1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. It's every school day, from Year 7 to Year 12.
The full cost
Applying, sitting the test and enrolling at a selective school are free2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Each private school sets its own fees, so ask each one for every yearly cost.
The comparison table covers the rest, from class mix to sport.
Which way do your family's answers point?
Answer three questions. You'll see where they point, why, and what they can't tell you. Nothing is sent or stored.
No account · nothing sent
Work out your case
Check your choices
Answer each question to see your case.
For your situation
Cost settles it, and that's a sound reason. Selective schools charge no attendance fees. 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published If no offer comes, every NSW public school offers high potential and gifted programs3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
For your situation
Visit both. The Department suggests you talk with your child and ask their teacher5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
For your situation
Visit both. The Department suggests you talk with your child and ask their teacher5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Write down every yearly cost for both schools, for six years.
For your situation
Time the trip on a school morning first, and keep a second school in mind. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
Time the trip on a school morning first, and keep a second school in mind. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Write down every yearly cost for both schools, for six years.
For your situation
Wishes and trip point to the selective school. Apply, and keep a second school in mind. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
Wishes and trip point to the selective school. Apply, and keep a second school in mind. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Write down every yearly cost for both schools, for six years.
For your situation
Time the trip on a school morning first. Selective stays open as a free2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published second option.
For your situation
Time the trip on a school morning first. Selective stays open as a free2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published second option.
Write down every yearly cost for both schools, for six years.
For your situation
Wishes and trip point to the private school. Price all six years first. You can apply for Selective and still turn down an offer. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
Wishes and trip point to the private school. Price all six years first. You can apply for Selective and still turn down an offer. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Write down every yearly cost for both schools, for six years.
Every case, in one table
The helper reads the first row that matches your answers, and adds the last row if the cost is a stretch.
| Your child wants | Longer trip | Private cost | Where it points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any | Any | Doesn't fit | Cost settles it, and that's a sound reason. Selective schools charge no attendance fees. 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published If no offer comes, every NSW public school offers high potential and gifted programs3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. |
| Not sure | Any | Fits or a stretch | Visit both. The Department suggests you talk with your child and ask their teacher5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. |
| Selective | Selective school | Fits or a stretch | Time the trip on a school morning first, and keep a second school in mind. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Selective | Same, or private | Fits or a stretch | Wishes and trip point to the selective school. Apply, and keep a second school in mind. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Private | Private school | Fits or a stretch | Time the trip on a school morning first. Selective stays open as a free2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published second option. |
| Private | Same, or selective | Fits or a stretch | Wishes and trip point to the private school. Price all six years first. You can apply for Selective and still turn down an offer. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Any | Any | A stretch | Write down every yearly cost for both schools, for six years. |
How do selective and private schools compare?
The selective column comes from the Department's rules. The private column says what to ask, because each private school sets its own fees, entry and dates.
| What you're weighing | Selective high school (NSW public) | Private school (independent or Catholic) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No attendance fees, except boarding. 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published The test is free2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Ask for every yearly cost, and how fees rise. |
| How children get in | The Selective test, sat in Year 64NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Places go by test performance and the order of your school choices1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Ask about the steps and closing dates. |
| Who's in the class | At a fully selective school, every student is placed through the selective process4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Ask how classes are grouped. |
| Learning needs | Selective schools are public high schools for high potential and gifted students4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Ask how the school stretches and supports a child like yours. |
| The daily trip | You can apply to any selective school, in or out of your area4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so it may be far. | Ask how long the trip takes. |
| Girls and boys | Coeducational selective schools have equal places for girls and boys from the 2027 intake6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Ask whether it's coeducational at every year level. |
| Wellbeing and settling in | The Department notes that less travel could reduce harm to schoolwork and wellbeing1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. | Ask how new students are helped to settle. |
| Subjects, sport and music | Selective schools may offer a variety of electives, or subjects taught with accelerated learning techniques1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, and generally a range of sporting, musical and creative activities1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. | Ask about what your child cares about most. |
| What it can't promise | A place: about a quarter3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published of children who sit the test gain one. Enrolment cannot be deferred3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | A result: no school can promise how your child will do. |
The Department's own list of what to weigh is your child's interests and abilities, academic and co-curricular needs, social and emotional needs, and any specialised support1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
What does a selective school cost after an offer?
Very little is compulsory. Selective schools are public schools, so the Department's rules on contributions apply to them.
| Cost | The Department's rule |
|---|---|
| Attendance fees | No attendance fees, except boarding4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Voluntary school contributions | Paying is at the discretion of parents and carers7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. In 2026 the cap for a secondary school is A$1107NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. |
| Subject contributions | Can be asked for elective and senior (Stage 6) subjects, never mandatory core subjects7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Excursions and programs | Can be asked for mandatory excursions such as camps and carnivals, and specialist programs such as sport or performing arts7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| If money is tight | Schools must help with part or all of these costs in financial hardship7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. |
| If you don't pay | No student can be kept out of lessons or school activities for not paying7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. |
For a private school, ask for the same list in writing: tuition, levies, uniform, camps and how much fees rose last year.
Is a selective school worth it for your child?
It's worth it when your child wants to go, enjoys being stretched beside strong classmates, and the trip works. The Department doesn't rank schools 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published, so no list can answer it for you.
The Department suggests you talk with your child and ask their teacher5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published whether it would suit them.
174NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Fully selective
At these schools, every student is placed through the selective process4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
| Often a good fit when your child… | Worth a second look when your child… |
|---|---|
| asks to go, and knows what it means | is happy and stretched where they are now |
| likes being stretched, and copes when others are faster | would leave every friend behind, and dreads it |
| can get there without a draining trip | is being pushed towards it by adults, not by their own wish |
What about the local public high school?
It's a real third option. In the Department's words, every NSW public school offers high potential and gifted programs3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and all NSW public schools follow the same NSW curriculum1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A partially selective school keeps selective classes beside local ones. If no offer comes for Year 7, each selective school runs its own entry for Years 8 to 11. 8NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Can you apply to selective and private schools at the same time?
Yes. Children at private schools can apply for Selective too 5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and applying is free2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. You can accept an offer now and decline it later, but a decline is final. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Answer every offer by its due date
Respond by the due date in the dashboard3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Put the date somewhere you'll see it.
A selective place can't be held over
Enrolment in a selective school cannot be deferred3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Decide for the year your child starts.
Reserve offers can come late
For Year 7 entry in 2027, reserve offers can come until the end of Term 1 20279NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. Ask the private school how much notice it needs if you leave.
Read the private school's deposit terms
If you hold a private place while you wait, ask in writing what happens to the deposit if you leave.
When is the next Selective round?
Exact dates for Year 7 entry in 2028 aren't published yet 5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published, so these are the expected months. Private schools set their own dates: ask each one early, so its deadlines don't clash.
What would change the answer for your family?
Any one of these can outweigh everything else. If one is true for you, let it lead.
Tips towards the closer school
The trip is long on a real school morning
Time it once, at school time, both ways. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Tips towards your child's choice
Your child changes their mind
Listen to why. The Department counts a school your child wants to go to1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published as important.
Changes the cost row
A private school offers a scholarship
Work out the cost after it, for every year.
Changes the timing
A reserve place, or no offer
Tips towards that school
Only one school offers what your child loves
Ask both schools before you decide.
Changes the cost row
Your money changes
A plan that fits today should still fit in Year 12. Redo the six-year total.
How does the choice work out for different families?
These are worked examples, not real families.
Keen on selective, long trip
Your child wants the selective school, but it's much further than the private one. Private fees would be a stretch.
Time the trip on a school morning. If it works, apply and keep a second option: about a quarter3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published of children who sit the test gain a place.
A scholarship on the table
A private school offers a part scholarship. Your child has also applied for Selective.
Compare six years of costs after the scholarship with the selective school's. You can accept a selective offer and decline later, but a decline is final. 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Not sure yet
Your child likes both schools and can't choose. The trips are about the same.
Visit both, then talk it through. 5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
An offer from a lower choice
Your child holds a lower-choice selective offer and a higher reserve place, and a private deposit is due.
Answer the selective offer by its due date. Ask the private school how long you have: reserve offers can come until the end of Term 1 20279NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
What does the Department say about choosing a school?
It puts your child first: a school your child wants, near home where you can, without over-preparing. These are its points, in our words.
Choose a school your child wants to go to.
The Department calls this an important consideration. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
A school close to home is worth a lot.
It means less travel, more time for other activities1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Talk with your child, and ask their teacher.
It suggests you talk with your child and ask their teacher5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Visit the schools.
Coaching is not necessary.
Other families' stories aren't official evidence: weigh them as one family's view.
What is SelectiveReady's interest in this?
SelectiveReady sells practice for the Selective test. That's why this page recommends no school, and why the helper's answers never suggest our product.
We are independent of the NSW Department of Education11SelectiveReady · 12 October 2026 · Published, and there is no promised score, placement or offer11SelectiveReady · 12 October 2026 · Published. The practice button at the top is for families who are applying anyway.
Questions parents ask about selective and private schools
Is a selective school better than a private school?
Neither is better for every child. The Department doesn't rank schools 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published, and it points families to their child's wishes and the trip instead.
How do we compare a private scholarship with a selective offer?
Compare what your family would pay at each school, for every year, after the scholarship. Then check what keeps the scholarship going. After that, the same three facts apply: your child's wishes, the trip and the fit.
If we accept a selective offer, can we change our mind?
Yes, until you decline it: declining is final3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Enrolment cannot be deferred3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so the place is for that year only.
Is the selective test fair?
Places go by test performance and the order of your school choices1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and multiple-choice answers are computer-marked, with manual reliability checks3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Up to 20%6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published of places at each school are held for children from four under-represented groups, still offered on test performance.
Does a sibling at a selective school help?
No. There's no priority for siblings 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published: each child needs the test performance for the school.
Do we need coaching to keep the selective option open?
No. The Department says coaching is not necessary10NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, that your child only needs a small amount of preparation5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers free resources in the Student Resource Hub10NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Read more on outside help.