North Sydney Girls High School


North Sydney Girls' High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for girls, located in Crows Nest, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Established in 1914, the school caters for approximately 910 students from Year 7 to Year 12. Admission to the school is based entirely on academic results through the Selective High Schools Test undertaken by students in Year 6.
In 2001, The Sun-Herald ranked North Sydney Girls High School first in Australia's top ten girls' schools, based on the number of its alumnae mentioned in the Who's Who in Australia.

History

North Sydney Girls' High School was officially founded in 1914 with an enrolment of 194 students. The school was originally located on the corner of Hazelbank Road and the Pacific Highway. By the 1980s, it was felt that the site could no longer meet the needs of the school, and years of intense lobbying for improved facilities followed. When the New South Wales Government decided to close Crows Nest Boys High School, the facility was transferred to North Sydney Girls. In December 1993, North Sydney Girls High officially moved to its current location, following a $6 million building and renovations project.

Academics

Enrolments

North Sydney Girls is an academically selective high school; admission to the school for Year 7 is determined by results in the Selective High Schools test, which is open to all Year 6 students in NSW. A small number of students from other high schools are accepted into years 8 to 12, with applications made to the school to sit for an entrance exam.

Award system

At North Sydney Girls High School, awards are given based on academic performance in the senior school only.

Academic results

The school performs well in public examinations, and in recent years has been placed as the leading girls' school in New South Wales in the Higher School Certificate examinations. Annually, at least 30% of Year 12 students achieve places in the top 1% of the HSC.

Curriculum

North Sydney Girls High School is registered and accredited with the New South Wales Board of Studies, and therefore follows the mandated curriculum for all years.

Co- and extracurricular activities

NSGHS offers a diverse range of extracurricular activities.

Music and drama

NSGHS has a theatresports troupe, junior drama ensemble, year 10 drama night, and various clubs available to seniors. They also have a combined annual musical with North Sydney Boys High School.
Instrumental ensembles and bands include the advanced string ensemble, stage band, jazz ensemble, concert band, symphony orchestra, wind orchestra, wind ensemble, and beginner band. Choirs and vocal ensembles include year 7 choir, junior choir, intermediate choir, combined choir, senior vocal, and the a capella group.

Sport and outdoor activity

Co-curricular sports include basketball, skiing, hockey, cricket, badminton, table tennis, taekwondo, rowing, kayaking, touch football, water polo, fencing, netball, tennis, and volleyball. NSGHS also has a chess club, dance ensembles, and a cadet program at Marist College North Shore, and has had students participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Notable alumnae

Academic

The school principals have been:
YearsPrincipal
1914–1923Janette Grossman
1924–1937Ida Slack
1938–1941Lilian Geer
1942–1949Vera Howard
1950–1955Elizabeth Booth
1956–1958Edith Kane
1959–1962Jessie Simons
1963–1968Dorothy Dey
1969–1976Joan Morris
1976–1982Shirley Hokin
1982–1986Joan Whittaker
1987–1990Betty Anderson
1990–1996Isobel Seivl
1997–2005Louise Robert-Smith
2006–2012Meredith Ash
2012–2018David Tomlin
2019–presentMegan Connors