Earlwood Public School OC: Opportunity Class Guide

Earlwood Public School hosts an Opportunity Class (OC) — a two-year gifted-education placement for high-potential students in Years 5 and 6 — in Sydney's inner south-west, with 30 Year 5 places for 2027 entry. The school runs two OC classes and has been doing so for three decades. Entry is by the OC Placement Test. If Earlwood is on your child's list, here's an honest profile and a clear explanation of how OC entry works.

School Snapshot

• Type: NSW public primary school (K–6) hosting Opportunity Classes
• OC program: Years 5–6 — the school runs two OC classes, a Year 5 and a Year 6
• Location: Homer Street, Earlwood, inner south-west Sydney
• OC places: 30 Year 5 places for 2027 entry
• Enrolment: over 600 students
• Principal: Greg Bass

Thirty Years of Opportunity Classes

Most OC guides can tell you a school's place count and little else. Earlwood can point to something harder to build: the school marks 30 years of OC, and describes the classes as "two Opportunity Classes that are an integral part of our school community."

Two classes matters structurally. A school with a 30-place Year 5 intake and a 30-place Year 6 cohort runs the OC as a continuous two-year stream rather than a single rotating cohort — your child's Year 5 class has a Year 6 class above it from day one, taught by staff who have run the program for years. Thirty years of it means the OC is not a recent addition competing for attention; it is part of how the school is organised.

The school describes the program as offering a "rich and diverse range of learning experiences to assist students reach their full potential," spanning advanced academic challenges, creative arts, leadership and extracurricular activities, with teachers who "use special teaching methods to move students through the curriculum at a faster pace and in more depth."

About the School

Earlwood is a K–6 public school of more than 600 students with over a century of history in the suburb. Its motto is Courtesy, Loyalty and Courage, and its day-to-day expectations are simply put: be safe, be respectful, be a learner.

The school is genuinely multicultural and backs that with structure rather than sentiment — a Greek community language program reflecting the suburb's long Greek-Australian community, EAL/D support for students learning English, and a support unit. Outside class there is sport, STEM, arts, leadership and environmental work.

An OC is an academic class within the school, not a separate school. Your child joins in Year 5 and continues in the OC to the end of Year 6, sharing assemblies, sport, playground and school events with the rest of the school.

How OC Entry Works

The OC Placement Test — Year 4 for Year 5 entry

For 2027 entry, Earlwood Public School offers 30 Year 5 opportunity-class places according to the NSW Department of Education. Children apply in Year 4 and sit the OC Placement Test, with places offered for Year 5 the following year. The test is computer-based and covers:

• Reading
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Thinking Skills

You nominate up to four OC schools in order of preference on the one application — one more than the selective high school test allows. Preference order never changes your chances at any single school; it only decides which offer you receive if your child qualifies for more than one.

The school sets out the timing clearly: parents apply at the end of Year 3 or the beginning of Year 4 for placement in Year 5, it is a two-year program, selection is competitive and decided on placement-test performance, and you may apply to up to four schools.

One correction worth making, because the school's page repeats an older description of the test: the current OC Placement Test does not include a writing task. It covers Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills only. Writing belongs to the selective high school test, not the OC test — don't build a preparation plan around a section that isn't examined.

Equal places for girls and boys

From the 2027 intake, OC places are allocated under a gender balance model: at a 30-place school, roughly 14 places go to boys and 14 to girls, with each competing within their own half and the remaining places awarded on academic merit. This does not change how your child is assessed — the OC Placement Test is identical for everyone. The Equity Placement Model separately holds up to 20% of places for students from defined disadvantaged groups, still awarded on test performance within that allocation.

Getting There

Earlwood sits between Marrickville and Canterbury, close to the Cooks River, served by bus routes along Homer Street and within reach of Canterbury and Hurlstone Park stations on the Bankstown line. Because OC classes are not zoned, students travel in from across the inner west and St George rather than from a single catchment.

Earlwood and Nearby OC Options

This is the part of Sydney where an OC application is least constrained by geography. Within roughly ten kilometres of Earlwood there are four sizeable opportunity classes:

• Earlwood Public School — 30 places
• Wilkins Public School, Marrickville — 30 places
• Summer Hill Public School — 30 places
• Hurstville Public School — 60 places, the largest OC in the state

Add the 15-place classes at Greenacre, Georges Hall and Picnic Point and an inner south-west family can fill all four preferences with schools that are genuinely commutable — something a family in the Hawkesbury or on the Central Coast cannot do. Use that advantage deliberately: rank by the school you actually want, not by a guess at which is easiest to get into, because order does not change your odds at any single school. Check places and suburbs in the full NSW OC schools directory before you lock in your preference order.

What a Competitive Application Looks Like

There's no published cut-off, so aim for a strong, balanced result across all three sections of the OC test. A lopsided result — strong maths but weaker Reading or Thinking Skills — can be overtaken by a more even performer. In a dense, competitive part of Sydney, the difference between an offer and the reserve list is usually consistency across sections rather than a standout score in one. The most reliable preparation is consistent practice with realistic, OC-style questions in the same computer-based format used on test day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Earlwood Public School have an opportunity class?

Yes. The school runs two Opportunity Classes for high-potential and gifted students in Years 5 and 6, entered through the NSW OC Placement Test.

How many OC places does Earlwood Public School have?

30 Year 5 places for 2027 entry — roughly 14 boys and 14 girls under the gender balance model, with the remaining places on academic merit.

How long has Earlwood run opportunity classes?

The school marks 30 years of OC, and describes its two opportunity classes as an integral part of the school community.

Do we have to live near Earlwood to apply?

No. Opportunity classes have no intake areas — you can apply regardless of where you live, and students travel in from across the inner west and St George.

Does the OC test include writing?

No. The OC Placement Test covers Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills. Some school pages still describe an older format that mentioned writing; writing is part of the selective high school test, not the OC test.

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 OC Placement Test performance.

Related reading

• How to apply for OC and Selective: 2028 entry
• OC test dates 2028
• How OC placement scores are calculated
• The OC reserve list explained
• Find OC schools near you in NSW

Prepare for the OC Test with AcePath

Whichever OC schools you're aiming for, the OC 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 practice test packs, which mirror the real computer-based format used on test day.