Baulkham Hills High School: Selective Entry Guide

Baulkham Hills High School — "Baulko" — is a fully selective, co-educational public school in the Hills District of north-western Sydney, and one of the largest and most sought-after selective schools in the state. It draws academically gifted students from across western and northern Sydney, and competition for its Year 7 places is intense. If it's on your child's preference list, here's an honest profile and a clear explanation of how entry works.

School Snapshot

• Type: Fully academically selective public high school, co-educational (with a support unit)
• Years: 7–12
• Location: Windsor Road, Baulkham Hills, in the Hills District
• Enrolment: roughly 1,200 students
• Established: 1971 (became fully selective in the mid-1990s)

What the School Is Like

Baulkham Hills describes itself as offering "an educationally enriched environment for academically gifted and talented students," and draws students from around 95 suburbs across western and northern Sydney — a reflection of how far families travel for a place rather than a local catchment. Alongside the selective stream it runs a support unit for students with disability. Its size gives it a broad subject offering and an extensive co-curricular program on top of its academic reputation.

Academic Reputation

Baulkham Hills is consistently regarded as one of the top-performing selective high schools in NSW and a strong HSC school. As with every selective school, it's worth being precise: the NSW Department of Education does not publish official rankings or entry cut-off scores. The numeric "state ranks" you'll see online come from third-party HSC league tables, not an official source. The honest summary is that it consistently ranks among the state's highest HSC performers.

How Entry Works

Year 7 — the main entry point

Baulkham Hills High School offers 180 Year 7 places for 2027 entry, according to the NSW Department of Education (90 boys / 90 girls).

Most students join in Year 7 through the NSW Selective High School Placement Test, sat in Year 6 and administered centrally by the Department's Selective Education Team (not by the school). The test is computer-based and covers Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing.

You nominate up to three selective schools in order of preference on the one application. Your preference order doesn't change your odds at any single school — it only decides which offer you receive if your child qualifies for more than one.

A co-ed school — the 2027 gender balance change applies here

Because Baulkham Hills is co-educational, it's affected by the NSW gender parity model that applies from the 2027 intake. At co-ed selective schools, places are split equally between boys and girls, with boys competing against boys and girls against girls for their halves of the places (any odd place, and any places one gender doesn't fill, go on academic merit). In practice Baulko has long taken an even boy/girl Year 7 intake, so this formalises an approach the school already used. It does not change how your child is assessed — the placement test is identical for everyone.

Later-year entry

A very small number of places open in Years 8–11 when vacancies arise, through a separate application and an Edutest exam (not the Year 7 placement test). There is no entry into Year 12, so Year 7 is by far the main entry point.

Getting There

The campus sits on the Windsor Road corridor in Baulkham Hills and is heavily served by buses, with the Sydney Metro Northwest line serving the wider Hills District via stations such as Castle Hill and Showground (reached by a short bus or drive). Rail access is also available via Epping, Parramatta and Seven Hills. As a selective school it draws students from a very wide area.

What a Competitive Application Looks Like

There's no published cut-off, so aim for a strong, balanced result across all four sections of the placement test. At a school this competitive, an uneven result can be overtaken by a more balanced one. The most reliable preparation is consistent practice with realistic, exam-style questions in the same computer-based format used on test day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Baulkham Hills co-ed or single-sex?

Co-educational, with a roughly even boy/girl Year 7 intake, plus a support unit alongside the selective stream.

What score do you need to get in?

There's no officially published cut-off, and any specific number online is an unofficial estimate. Entry is decided by placement-test performance, and demand is very high.

Does the 2027 gender balance change affect Baulkham Hills?

Yes. As a co-ed selective school, places are split 50/50 between boys and girls from the 2027 intake — though the school already took an even intake. The placement test itself is unchanged.

Can you apply here and to other selective schools at the same time?

Yes. You list up to three selective schools in order of preference on one application. Order doesn't affect your chances at any single school.

Is there entry other than in Year 7?

A very small number of Years 8–11 places open when vacancies arise, via a separate Edutest process, but Year 7 is by far the main entry point.

Related reading

• Selective High School Test dates 2028
• How selective placement scores are calculated
• The selective reserve list explained
• Gender parity in NSW selective schools from 2027

Prepare for the Placement Test with AcePath

Whichever selective schools you're aiming for, the placement test decides your child's options. Start with a free AcePath sample quiz to see where they stand in Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, then build an exam-ready routine with our OC and Selective practice test packs, which mirror the real computer-based format used on test day.