Selective schools · Profile
North Sydney Boys High: Selective Entry & Places
North Sydney Boys High School is a fully academically selective boys high school in Crows Nest, Lower North Shore. It offers 150 Year 7 selective places, entered through the Selective High School Placement Test.
A boys-only selective day school on the Lower North Shore since 1912, moving to its Crows Nest site in 1915.
North Sydney Boys High School at a glance
| Type | Fully selective |
|---|---|
| Gender | Boys |
| Suburb | Crows Nest, Lower North Shore |
| Year 7 places | 150, 2027 entry — per aggregated Department data (AcePath) |
| Entry routes | Year 7 via the Selective High School Placement Test.Limited vacancy-based entry to Years 8–11, applied for directly with the school; applicants sit the Edutest entrance examination. Only a few places open in Years 8–10, with up to around 20 in Year 11. |
| Boarding | None — day school. |
| Official website | northsydbo-h.schools.nsw.gov.au |
How entry works
Year 7 entry to North Sydney Boys 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 him 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: Limited vacancy-based entry to Years 8–11, applied for directly with the school; applicants sit the Edutest entrance examination. Only a few places open in Years 8–10, with up to around 20 in Year 11.
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 North Sydney Boys High School that figure was 228/300 (231/300 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 North Sydney Boys 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
- A fully academically selective government day school for boys, Years 7 to 12, on Sydney's Lower North Shore. source
- Established in 1912 as North Sydney Intermediate High School; moved to its current Crows Nest site in 1915. source
- Enrolment of around 933 students (2025); motto "Vincit qui se vincit". source
Families near Crows Nest
Many families sitting for North Sydney Boys High come from the surrounding suburbs. We compare the selective coaching options — centre by centre, with published prices — for Chatswood.
Other nearby areas: North Sydney, St Leonards, Willoughby, Lane Cove, Artarmon.