Selective schools · Profile
Gosford High: Selective Entry & Places
Gosford High School is a fully academically selective co-educational high school in Gosford, Central Coast. It offers 180 Year 7 selective places, entered through the Selective High School Placement Test.
Established in 1928 as the Central Coast's first secondary school and selective since 1989, it remains the region's only fully selective school — and runs an agriculture program on a shared farm.
Gosford High School at a glance
| Type | Fully selective |
|---|---|
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Suburb | Gosford, Central Coast |
| Year 7 places | 180, 2027 entry — per aggregated Department data (AcePath) |
| Entry routes | Year 7 via the Selective High School Placement Test.Year 7 is the main entry point; the school also fills Years 8–11 vacancies through its own school-based enrolment process. |
| Boarding | None — day school. |
| Official website | gosford-h.schools.nsw.gov.au |
How entry works
Year 7 entry to Gosford High runs through the statewide NSW Selective High School Placement Test, sat in Year 6. There is no separate school exam and no catchment for selective places — you nominate the school among your preferences, and offers are made from a single statewide placement score. The steps and deadlines are in our application walkthrough.
About one applicant in four receives a selective place across the state. A miss says very little about a capable child — with roughly four applicants for every place, the maths alone means most well-prepared children miss out, and are fine.
Later years: Year 7 is the main entry point; the school also fills Years 8–11 vacancies through its own school-based enrolment process.
The last-published entry score — read this honestly
The last time the Department published a per-school minimum entry score was for 2021 entry, on the retired 300-point scale. For Gosford High School that figure was 187/300 (185/300 the year before).
That is a historical record, not a current cut-off. The test and its scoring have changed since — four equally-weighted components, computer-based, no school-assessment mark — the Department no longer publishes per-school minimums, and it states plainly that there is no set entry score. Treat any "current" cut-off you see quoted for Gosford High as an estimate, not a fact.
Where these figures come from, why the Department stopped publishing them, and how to sanity-check any number you read: our cut-off scores guide.
Known for
- Established in 1928, it was the first secondary school in the Central Coast region. source
- Became fully academically selective in 1989 and remains the sole fully selective school serving the Central Coast. source
- Runs a music program including a Concert Band, and an agriculture program on a shared 3-hectare farm. source
Families near Gosford
Other nearby areas: Erina, Terrigal, Woy Woy, Wyong, Narara, Point Clare.