Selective schools · Profile
Sydney Secondary College, Balmain: Selective Entry & Places
Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus is a partially selective co-educational secondary college campus in Rozelle, Inner West. It offers 60 Year 7 selective places, entered through the Selective High School Placement Test.
The Balmain (Rozelle) junior campus of Sydney Secondary College — Years 7–10 — where selective-stream students continue to the Blackwattle Bay senior campus after Year 10.
Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus at a glance
| Type | Partially selective |
|---|---|
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Suburb | Rozelle, Inner West |
| Year 7 places | 60, 2027 entry — NSW Department of Education selective-schools list |
| Entry routes | Year 7 via the Selective High School Placement Test.Year 7 is the main selective intake; vacancies in Years 8–10 are filled by the school as they arise. The campus ends at Year 10, after which students continue to the Blackwattle Bay senior campus for Years 11–12. |
| Boarding | None — day school. |
| Official website | balmain-h.schools.nsw.gov.au |
How entry works
Year 7 entry to Sydney Secondary College, Balmain 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 selective intake; vacancies in Years 8–10 are filled by the school as they arise. The campus ends at Year 10, after which students continue to the Blackwattle Bay senior campus for Years 11–12.
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 Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus that figure was 181/300 (179/300 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 Sydney Secondary College, Balmain 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
- The junior campus (Years 7–10) of Sydney Secondary College, a multi-campus college established in 2002 under the motto "quality, opportunity and diversity".
- Originally opened as Balmain High School in 1975.
- Facilities for Design and Technology, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Hospitality, and a support unit with wheelchair access.
Families near Rozelle
Other nearby areas: Balmain, Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Annandale, Glebe.