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Prairiewood High School

A partially selective public high school in Wetherill Park, in Sydney’s south-west, for boys and girls in Years 7 to 12. Partially selective means it has selective classes alongside classes for local students. 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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60 selective places in Year 7.

The selective stream is a set of classes for students offered a selective place, most of them through the Selective test in Year 6. Later places go through the school: its page says families apply directly, usually between June and July.

Year 760 selective places, through the Selective test
Years 8–11Apply directly to the school, usually between June and July
Year 12The school’s page doesn’t say
What the school says

What the school says: “For entry in Years 8 to 11, you apply directly to our school – usually between June and July.” The school’s website, read 28 October 2026

Worth knowing
  • Prairiewood’s page uses the Department’s standard wording. It doesn’t say how the school chooses students for selective places in Years 8 to 11, or how many there are. Ask the school.
  • Only the selective stream is selective. The HSC results, Band 6 counts and student numbers on this page cover the whole school.

Two ways in, for places starting in 2028.

Year 7 places go through the Department’s Selective test. Selective places in Years 8 to 11 go through the school directly, usually between June and July.

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
Apply to PrairiewoodJune to July, usually Thenthe school decides; ask how

The Year 7 dates are the Department’s official dates. The June to July window comes from the school’s page, which uses the Department’s standard wording. The school hasn’t published its own dates or test.

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.

Years 8 to 11 entry

Who runs it
Prairiewood High School, for its selective stream
How to apply
Directly to the school, usually between June and July
Test
Not named on the school’s page
Late applications
The school says closing dates are strictly observed. Its page gives a June to July window but not the exact date: ask it in May
Current students
The school doesn’t say whether students in its other classes can apply: ask.
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
Prairiewood High School’s website

Another class at Prairiewood · chosen by the school

An Accelerated Mathematics class.

For selected students strong in maths, working ahead of their year group.

Years
From Year 9: Years 9 and 10 maths in Year 9, Year 11 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 in Year 10, and the HSC in those courses in Year 11. Extension 2 is an option in Year 12.
Who can apply
Students choosing their Year 9 subjects: it’s in the school’s Year 9 and 10 subject booklet.
How
An application form from the student and a parent, then a meeting with the school counsellor. A committee decides on academic performance, the ability to handle harder work, and work ethic, and may ask for an interview.
Test
Yes: an Accelerated Mathematics entry examination, alongside the application. The school doesn’t say what it covers.
Last round
For Year 9 in 2027: applications were due on Wednesday 22 July 2026, with results in Term 4.

The next round isn’t announced yet.

Source: NSW Department of Education (Year 7; who can apply); Prairiewood 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. The marks cover every Year 12 student at Prairiewood, whichever classes they were in.

Prairiewood High School · HSC 2025 · whole schoolAverage 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.

116 Band 6 results in 2025, up 37 on 2024.

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.
  • 63 students got at least one Band 6 in 2025.
  • 5 students were All-round Achievers: a Band 6 in 10 or more units of study.
  • 3 state ranks: 2nd and 5th in Retail Services Examination and 15th in English Advanced.

Source: NESA’s HSC merit lists, 2021 to 2025, counted by Bing’s Academy. The counts cover the whole school, not only the selective stream. These counts are shown on their own. We don’t rank or compare schools by results.

1,284 students, with more boys than girls.

Students, 2025 (whole school)
1,284: 677 boys and 607 girls Between 52% and 54% boys every year since 2022.
Attendance
87.5% of school days, Semester 1 2025Average for NSW public schools, Years 7 to 12: 83.7%
After Year 12
65% of the 2025 Year 12 group went on to universityThe school’s own count, in its annual report
Home language
86% of students speak a language other than English at home, or have a parent who does
Getting there
No train station nearby, so most trips need a busPlan a trip (opens in a new tab)
Address
203–215 Restwell Rd, Prairiewood NSW 2176 · 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 Prairiewood High School use HAST?

Its page doesn’t name a test for Years 8 to 11. Ask the school how it chooses students.

How many Year 7 places are there?

60 selective places in Year 7: 30 for boys and 30 for girls. From the Department’s list (read 28 October 2026).

Is the whole school selective?

No. Only the selective stream is. The figures on this page cover the whole school.

What mark do you need to get in?

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

Aiming for Prairiewood?

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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