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Merewether High School

A fully selective public high school in Broadmeadow, Newcastle, for boys and girls in Years 7 to 12. Fully selective means every student was chosen for a selective place. Here’s how to get in, how its students do in the HSC (the exams at the end of Year 12), and what the school is like.

By John “Bing” Huang, founder of Bing’s Academy · Updated

Bing’s Academy is independent of the school. Every figure here is from a public source, named under each section.

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How could your child get in?

Pick the year your child is in now (2026).
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180 places in Year 7. Later places go through a panel, with no test.

Most Merewether students start in Year 7. For Years 8 to 11 there is no placement test: a panel of the principal and deputy principals reviews applications in Term 3.

Year 7180 places, through the Selective test
Years 8–11No test. A panel reviews applications in Term 3 and keeps a waiting list
Year 12The school’s page doesn’t say
What the school says

What the school says: “There is no placement test for these enrolments.” The school’s website, read 28 October 2026

Worth knowing
  • Merewether has no entry test for Years 8 to 11. A panel of the principal and deputy principals decides, using your child’s reports, NAPLAN (the national literacy and numeracy tests in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9) results and awards.
  • Waiting lists last until the end of Term 1 the next year, and a new application is needed each year.

Two ways in, for places starting in 2028.

Year 7 places go through the Department’s Selective test. Places in Years 8 to 11 go through the school’s own application and a panel, with no test.

Nov 2026DecJan 2027FebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOct
Year 7 entryYear 7 in 2028: children in Year 5 now
Apply online5 Nov to 15 Feb Selective test13 or 14 May OffersAugust
Years 8 to 11 entryYears 8 to 11 in 2028: children in Years 6 to 9 now
Applyfrom mid-June PanelTerm 3

The Year 7 dates are the Department’s official dates. The mid-June opening is announced by the school. The panel meets in Term 3.

Who runs it, fees and the school’s website

Year 7 entry

Who runs it
The NSW Department of Education, for all selective schools
Score needed
Not published. It changes every year.
The test
Done on a computer, in Year 6, in four parts: reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing (our Selective test guide)
Late applications
Not accepted
Who can apply
Families living in NSW by the start of the school year. Conditions may apply if your child isn’t an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen.
School match: which selective schools suit your child

Years 8 to 11 entry

Who runs it
Merewether High School, for its own places
What it involves
No test. A panel reviews your child’s reports, NAPLAN results and awards in Term 3.
Fee
Not published on the school’s page
Who can apply
Families living in NSW by the start of the school year. Conditions may apply if your child isn’t an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen.
School website
Merewether High School’s website

Inside Merewether · once your child is in

Acceleration.

Every student here already has a selective place.

Acceleration
The school lists acceleration in Years 10 and 11 but publishes no details: ask.

Source: NSW Department of Education (Year 7; who can apply); Merewether High School’s website and enrolment documents (Years 8 to 11; other classes), read 28 October 2026.

Above the NSW average in all 27 subjects listed.

The HSC is the set of exams at the end of Year 12. Each HSC subject is marked out of 100. The school’s yearly report lists the average mark of its Year 12 students in each subject, next to the NSW average. Subjects with fewer than 10 students are not listed. Selective schools choose most of their students by test, so their averages usually sit above the NSW average: the useful part is which subjects are strongest.

Merewether High School · HSC 2025Average mark out of 100, Year 12
The NSW average includes every student in NSW who took the subject.

Source: the school’s 2025 annual report, NSW Department of Education (CC BY 4.0). These results are shown on their own. We don’t rank or compare schools by results.

403 Band 6 results in 2025. The most in five years.

A Band 6 is the top result in an HSC subject. Here is what the count tells you, and what it doesn’t.

What the count does and doesn’t tell you
What it is
A mark of 90 or more out of 100 in one subject. In Extension subjects the top band is called E4, and the counts here include E4s.
Where it comes from
NESA, which runs the HSC, lists the students who get one, with their school.
What it misses
One student with three Band 6s counts three times. It also tells you nothing about students who got under 90.
  • 207 students got at least one Band 6 in 2025.
  • 29 students were All-round Achievers: a Band 6 in 10 or more units of study.
  • 9 state ranks, including 3rd in Earth and Environmental Science.

Source: NESA’s HSC merit lists, 2021 to 2025, counted by Bing’s Academy. These counts are shown on their own. We don’t rank or compare schools by results.

1,071 students, with more boys than girls.

Students, 2025
1,071: 606 boys and 465 girls Between 53% and 57% boys every year since 2022.
Attendance
93.0% of school days, Semester 1 2025Average for NSW public schools, Years 7 to 12: 83.7%
After Year 12
98% of the 2025 Year 12 group went on to universityThe school’s own count, in its annual report
Home language
34% of students speak a language other than English at home, or have a parent who does
Getting there
Broadmeadow Station (Newcastle Line), a 10‑minute walkPlan a trip (opens in a new tab)
Address
130 Chatham St, Broadmeadow NSW 2292 · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Source: the school’s 2025 annual report; NSW Department of Education school data, 2 October 2026 (CC BY 4.0); Google Maps and Transport for NSW.

Before you apply.

Does Merewether High School use HAST?

No. There is no test for Years 8 to 11: a panel of the principal and deputy principals reviews applications.

How many Year 7 places are there?

180: 90 for boys and 90 for girls, from the Department’s list (read 28 October 2026).

Is Merewether High School coed?

Yes. In 2025 it had 606 boys and 465 girls.

What mark do you need to get in?

The Department doesn’t publish one. It changes every year, depending on who applies.

Aiming for Merewether?

Of the 22 students we taught who sat the Selective test in 2026, 17 received an offer of a selective place (not always at this school). We will never promise a place: the Department marks the exam and the cut-offs move every year. What we can promise is that you will know where your child stands, for Year 7 or for joining later.

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