Enrolment

Entry into Year 7 is by examination set by the Selective Education Unit of the NSW Department of Education. Applications are open from November each year to February the following year. Students sit a placement test in Year 6 of Primary School and qualify for a place based on their results.

Applications for Year 7 entry in 2026 will open on Thursday 7 November 2024 and close on Friday 21 February 2025. 

The 2025 selective high school placement test dates are Friday 2 May 2025 - Sunday 4 May 2025. The test will be conducted mostly in external test centres (i.e. not in schools). Students will be allocated an external test centre within the local area of their current school.

For detailed information regarding Year 7 entry please refer to the Year 7 Application Guide.

The selective high school placement process is managed by the Selective Education Unit. Enquiries should be directed to the Selective Education Team. 

You can contact the Selective Education Unit by:

Email: ssu@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone: 1300 880 367 

Applications for Years 8-11 entry to Hornsby Girls High School in 2026 open on Wednesday 18 June 2025.   The closing date for applications is Friday 25 July 2025. We do not accept late applications.

The Selective High Schools listed below are coordinating their entry test procedures for Years 8-11 to be held on Saturday 9 August 2025 with Hornsby Girls High School. 

• Caringbah High School
  
• Fort Street High School - Year 11 only
• Girraween High School
• Gosford High School
• Hurlstone Agricultural High School
• Macquarie Fields High School
• Manly Selective Campus
• Penrith Selective High School
• St George Girls High School
• Sydney Technical High School

If you wish to apply for other selective schools not on the above list, please make direct contact with the individual school.

You may apply for entry to a maximum of three selective high schools. To gain entry to the above selective schools in Years 8 - 11 your child will need to sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in Melbourne.

If your first preference is Hornsby Girls High School, you will need to apply and pay $140 for the test at Hornsby Girls High School prior to the closing date.  Your daughter will then sit the test at Hornsby Girls High School on Saturday 9 August 2025. This administration fee pays for the setting and marking of the test by Australian Council Educational Research (ACER) Melbourne and for the supervision of the test by external invigilators. 

If your first preference from the list above is not Hornsby Girls High School you must apply, pay for and sit the test at the school you nominate on your application form as your first preference. If in this circumstance Hornsby Girls High School is your second or third preference you must still send an application form to Hornsby Girls so we can register your preference. 

Application Process

For detailed information regarding the application process for Years 8 - 11 entry, including eligibility criteria please refer to the Education NSW Website.

1.  Download and complete the application form (once available).

2.  Return a copy of the application form to Hornsby Girls High School by Friday 25 July 2025. 

• You must send separate applications to all the Selective High Schools in which you are seeking enrolment.
• Due to the volume of applications we are not able to accept them electronically.
• Pay the Administration Fee of $140 if applicable. 

Please make payment through our Payment Portal. (Please use your child's name as the name when making payment).

Please note: we do not accept any supporting documents from students applying for entry into Years 8 to 10. However, students applying for Year 11 entry should include a copy of their most recent school report only.

3.  Years 8, 9 10 and 11 applicants whose first preference is Hornsby Girls High School will sit the test on Saturday 9 August 2025, commencing at 9:30 am at Hornsby Girls High School. The student's performance in the test will determine their placement on a short waiting list for enrolment. If vacancies become available, the Principal or representative may consider inviting applicants from the waiting list for interview. The Principal will then determine if an offer is to be made.  The wait list will remain open until the end of Term 1 2026.

How many students gain entry to Hornsby Girls from Years 8-11?

As the school only maintains 120 places in each of the Year groups from 7 - 10, new students can only come into these year groups if a current student leaves the school. 

In Year 11 the Principal determines the number of new students in this year based on their performance in the HAST test.   This will vary from year to year.

This information is provided to parents and students so that they can make an informed choice about whether to proceed with the enrolment application.