VCE Examination Results Analysis (2024 Updated)
- Aussie School Data
- Sep 11
- 6 min read
What is the VCE?
The VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) Examination is a set of statewide final exams in Victoria, Australia that assess Year 12 students’ subjects, with results contributing to study scores and the ATAR used for university entry.
In this blog post, we look at results from recent VCE examinations from different angles.
Ratings Explained (click to expand)
Throughout this post, it compares school performance using a weighted rating with a scale from 0 to 100.
Factor | Weighting (%) | Details |
Median score | 40% | This is the median VCE study score for a school. The median is the middle score when all results are ordered, so half are above and half are below. It’s often better than the average because it isn’t skewed by very high or very low scores. For example: if five students got scores of 10, 20, 27, 28, and 45, the median is 27 (the one in the middle). |
% of study scores with 40+ | 25% | This is the percentage of study which achieve a score of least 40 points (out of a maximum of 50) |
% of students applying for tertiary places | 18% | This is the percentage of students which apply for tertiary places through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) |
% of students with satisfactory completion | 15% | The percentage of students who satisfactorily complete the VCE. Importantly, a satisfactory result is about passing the minimum requirements, not the score achieved. The statewide percentage is consistently above 95%. |
School size | 2% | Big schools usually have many different types of students, which makes it harder for the whole group to score well. A small size adjustment gives extra credit to bigger schools, since strong results there show success across a larger and more varied group. |
How Do Schools Compare Overall?
The chart shows the 2024 distribution of overall school VCE ratings, split between government and non-government sectors. Most schools cluster around ratings of 50–70, with government schools peaking at the 55–60 range (77 schools) and non-government schools peaking slightly higher at 60–65 (52 schools). Only a small number of schools fall below 40, while a noticeable number of non-government schools extend into the higher ranges (75–90), where government schools are less represented. This suggests that while both sectors share a large middle band, non-government schools are more prominent at the higher-scoring end.
Which Schools Are at the Top in 2024?
The 2024 top VCE ratings for government schools are led by selective entry schools, with MacRobertson Girls High School in Melbourne topping the list at 90.0, followed by Nossal High School in Berwick and Melbourne High School in South Yarra, both at 87.0. Other selective schools like John Monash Science School (83.9) and Suzanne Cory High School (80.1) also rank highly. Among non-selective schools, McKinnon Secondary College (76.3), Glen Waverley Secondary College (75.7), and Balwyn High School (74.4) are standout performers. The top 15 is rounded out by strong suburban schools such as East Doncaster, Melbourne Girls College, Mentone Girls, and Box Hill High, with ratings in the low 70s. Overall, selective schools dominate the top tier.
What’s remarkable is that all four girls-only government secondary schools in Melbourne — MacRobertson Girls’ High, Melbourne Girls’ College, Mentone Girls’ Secondary College, and Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College — appear in the Top 15. Considering there are no boys-only government secondary schools in Melbourne, this highlights that the academic strength of single-sex education in the government sector lies almost entirely with girls’ schools, which consistently deliver strong VCE results.
The 2024 Top VCE Ratings (Non-Government) list is dominated by elite private schools, with Ballarat Clarendon College topping the chart at 90.5, closely followed by Huntingtower School (89.8), Mount Scopus Memorial College (89.3), and Ruyton Girls’ School (89.2). All schools in the top 15 rated above 85, with strong representation from prestigious Melbourne-based institutions such as Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne Girls Grammar, Presbyterian Ladies’ College, and Camberwell Girls Grammar, alongside consistent results from multi-campus schools like Haileybury.
A striking feature is the prominence of girls-only schools in this list. Ruyton Girls’ School, Melbourne Girls Grammar, Presbyterian Ladies’ College, St Catherine’s School, and Camberwell Girls Grammar all place in the Top 15, making girls’ schools far more common than boys-only schools (Melbourne Grammar being the only one). Even Haileybury, sometimes mistaken as a boys’ school, actually runs a parallel model where boys and girls share campuses but are taught separately. This reinforces that the single-sex advantage is far more pronounced in girls’ schools, with boys-only schools playing a much smaller role in the highest tiers of non-government VCE performance.
How Do Government and Non-Government Schools Compare?
Both sectors show excellence, but the non-government schools hold a distinct edge at the top. The highest-rated government school, MacRobertson Girls High (90.0), is slightly behind Ballarat Clarendon College (90.5). Selective-entry government schools such as Nossal High and Melbourne High perform strongly (87.0 each), putting them on par with many private schools. However, beyond the selective schools, government ratings drop into the low–mid 70s, while non-government schools maintain a strong cluster in the 85–90+ range. In short, selective government schools rival the best private schools, but overall the non-government sector dominates the broader top tier.
Why Selective Schools Stand Out
The chart highlights the sustained dominance of Victoria’s selective-entry schools compared with both Government and Non-Government medians. In 2024, selective schools rated in the 80–90 range, while the medians for Non-Government and Government schools sat at 65 and 56 respectively. This stark gap demonstrates how selective schools consistently outperform the broader system by a wide margin, regardless of sector.
Within the selective group, however, the trajectories differ notably. John Monash Science School stands out with a steady, year-on-year rise since 2018, moving from the lowest starting point to a solid mid-tier performer by 2024. In contrast, Mac.Robertson Girls’ High continues to lead but with more volatility, dipping sharply in 2022 before recovering. Melbourne High and Nossal High have flattened or slightly declined, while Suzanne Cory remains the lowest-performing selective at 80.1, roughly 10 points behind Mac.Rob but still ~15 points above the Non-Government median.
Overall, the data shows that while selective schools as a group remain far ahead of the state’s typical schools, performance within the selective cohort is diverging. John Monash’s consistent upward trajectory contrasts with Suzanne Cory’s relative stagnation and the volatility seen in the long-established schools. This suggests that factors such as leadership, curriculum focus, and school culture may play an increasingly important role in shaping outcomes even within the selective system.
How Family Background Links to Results
A school’s results are often linked to the background of its students. This is measured by ICSEA, an index that reflects things like parents’ education, jobs, and the local community. In general, schools with higher ICSEA scores tend to achieve better VCE results.
But background isn’t the whole story. Some schools do far better than expected for their community profile, standing out well above the trend. The chart below shows this relationship, highlighting examples of schools that ‘punch above their weight’ compared to others with similar backgrounds.
The chart shows a clear link between student background (ICSEA percentile, along the bottom) and school VCE performance (up the side). In general, schools with higher ICSEA — meaning more advantaged student communities — also achieve higher VCE ratings. The dotted line represents this overall trend.
While most schools sit close to the trend line, some stand out by achieving much higher results than their background alone would predict. These are shown above the line in the green zone. Examples include selective government schools like MacRobertson Girls’ and Nossal High, and non-government schools such as Ballarat Clarendon. Mid-ICSEA schools like Sirius College, St Albans Secondary, Braybrook College, and Al-Taqwa College also perform strongly compared with peers of similar profile.
The red-outlined circles highlight government selective schools. These schools consistently sit in the top-right corner, combining strong student backgrounds with excellent results, and often outperforming even the highest-ICSEA non-government schools.
Bubble size represents enrolments. Both small and large schools follow the same general trend — bigger doesn’t automatically mean better, and smaller schools can still deliver excellent results relative to their background.
Overall, ICSEA explains part of the story, but not the whole picture. Many schools perform right on expectation, some significantly above, and others slightly below. The key takeaway is that strong results are possible in a wide range of communities, and parents should look beyond background alone when considering school options.
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