Rossmoyne Senior High School targeting sustained success after academic excellence in 2018

IT may already be one of the premier secondary schools in the state, but Rossmoyne Senior High School has its sights set on loftier ambitions in 2019.

Following a successful 2018 which saw it vault back into the top 10 WA secondary schools based on median Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results, Rossmoyne is targeting sustained success as students return to school this week.

The school achieved a median ATAR of 89.45, the eighth highest in the state, thanks to the collective effort of its 288 eligible students.

It was a significant leap for the school, which finished 15th in the 2017 median ATAR table.

Based on median ATAR, Rossmoyne was the second-best public school behind academically selective Perth Modern School in WA and the second-best school south of the river behind Santa Maria College.

Twenty-nine Rossmoyne students achieved an ATAR of 99 or higher in 2018, putting them in the top 1 per cent in the state.

Associate principal Charmaine Ford said the school’s goal was to consolidate its status as one of the top 10 schools in the state by achieving a median ATAR of 90.

“Our continued focus is on all students doing their best, improving on their own individual achievements,” she said.

“We are committed to encouraging all students to study a breadth of curriculum in areas that interest them.”

Ms Ford put the school’s success down to multiple factors, including the students’ work ethic, the staff’s passion and the support of the school community.

“All credit must go to the students,” she said.

“Their dedication to achieve, their hard work, their healthy competition within the group to constantly improve and strive for their individual best has seen improvement across the whole cohort of 288 students studying an ATAR pathway.”Rossmoyne were not alone in achieving academic success, as neighbours Willetton Senior High School also finished highly in the median ATAR table.

Willetton students had a median ATAR of 87.80, which placed them as the 15th top school in the state.

Riverton MLA Dr Mike Nahan congratulated both schools on their performance and said it was remarkable they continued to achieve so much with large cohorts.

“It’s outstanding that Rossmoyne and Willetton continue to attain high median ATARs and have a high graduation rate as they are not only two of WA’s largest schools, but they are also non-selective,” he said.

“It was special to see Rossmoyne Senior High School finish their 50th year celebrations in style with a jump to eighth in the rankings.”