Only a very small number of students achieve the maximum 99.95 ATAR each year, typically around 30 to 60 students across Australia, depending on the state and cohort, with figures for New South Wales (HSC) showing 51 in 2024 and 53 in 2025, indicating extreme rarity for this top score.
60,432 students were eligible for an ATAR in NSW. 53 students achieved a perfect 99.95 ATAR (comprising 34 males and 19 females). 1,045 students achieved an ATAR of 99.00 or above. The median ATAR in 2025 was 70.75.
If you are wondering how many students get a 99.95 ATAR, it's not many. In 2024, out of 57,194 students in NSW, only 51 students achieved a 99.95 ATAR. Many students would use that mark to get into medicine.
In 2024, 64% of Australia's Year 12 students received an ATAR. This varies significantly across states and territories, from 79% in New South Wales and 72% in Victoria to 38% in Western Australia.
The highest possible rank of 99.95 was achieved by 37 students and more than 24 percent of eligible students received a score of 90 percent or above. The ATAR is a percentile rank between 0.00 and 99.95, which indicates a students position relative to their peers within the same age group for a given year.
There isn't one single "number 1" high school, as rankings vary by source and criteria, but James Ruse Agricultural High School (NSW) consistently appears at or near the top, often cited as Australia's best public school based on academic results like the HSC. Other top contenders frequently mentioned include North Sydney Boys/Girls High Schools, Sydney Grammar School, Melbourne High School (VIC), and Perth Modern School (WA), with rankings shifting slightly depending on the year and specific metrics used (e.g., ATAR, university placements).
Yes, an ATAR of 90 means you are in the top 10% of your year level in Australia, indicating excellent performance that opens doors to many university courses, though highly competitive ones like Medicine or Law may need higher scores. The ATAR is a percentile rank, so a 90 means you performed better than 90% of your peers.
The University of Melbourne is frequently ranked as Australia's #1 university across major global rankings like QS and THE, known for its strong reputation, research, and high graduate employability, though other institutions like the University of Sydney, UNSW, and ANU also consistently appear in the top tier. Rankings can vary slightly by publication (QS, THE, U.S. News) and year, but Melbourne consistently leads the country.
The average ATAR is usually around 70.00.
If every school student went on to achieve an ATAR, the average ATAR would be 50.00. But because some students leave school early and the ones who stay on to receive an ATAR are a smaller, more academically able group, the average ATAR is higher.
No, Australia is not 90% white; while a large majority identify with European ancestry (around 76-80% in recent years), a significant and growing portion identifies as Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous, making it a highly multicultural nation with diverse ethnic backgrounds, not overwhelmingly white. Recent census data shows European ancestry (English, Irish, etc.) makes up a large chunk, but Asian ancestries are also substantial, with over 17% Asian population and around 3.8% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, per the 2021 census data from Wikipedia.
To achieve a 99.95 ATAR, students typically take a combination of high-scaling subjects like Specialist Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Physics, Chemistry, English (Advanced/Extension), and high-level Languages (LOTEs), alongside other subjects they excel in, as achieving top marks (raw 40s and 50s) in demanding subjects is crucial, though success ultimately depends on performing exceptionally well relative to other students in any chosen subjects, notes KIS Academics, The Age, and UAC.
→Is a 98 ATAR enough for medicine in the ANZ market? A 98 ATAR is an excellent score, and it is certainly high enough to apply for medicine at most universities in Australia and New Zealand.
A great ATAR is subjective but generally means scoring high enough for your desired course, with 90+ being excellent for competitive fields (Law, Medicine), 80-89 strong for most uni courses (Business, Science), and scores 70+ considered above average, while the highest possible is 99.95, indicating top-tier performance. Ultimately, a "great" ATAR is simply the score that unlocks your preferred university pathway.
Most of the universities in Australia will consider anywhere between 70 and 84 score as a Distinction which is equivalent to A in the states.
The highest possible ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is 99.95, not 100, because it's a ranking indicating performance better than 99.95% of the cohort, not a perfect score. Many students achieve this top score annually across Australia, with recent examples from Perth Modern School's Class of 2025 and A.B. Paterson College, highlighting it as a significant but attainable goal for top performers.
The hardest high schools to get into are highly selective public schools, often in Australia (like North Sydney Boys/Girls, James Ruse, Baulkham Hills, Hornsby Girls) or major US cities (like NYC's Stuyvesant High School), known for extremely low acceptance rates (under 15% in NSW) and requiring exceptional scores on competitive entrance exams (like the SHSAT in NYC) for their academically focused environments.
The hardest universities to get into in Australia are consistently the University of Sydney, UNSW (University of New South Wales), and the Australian National University (ANU), often cited with low acceptance rates (around 30-35%) and high ATAR cut-offs, especially for competitive courses like Medicine, Law, and Engineering. The University of Melbourne also ranks among the most difficult due to its strong reputation and rigorous entry standards, alongside other Go8 (Group of Eight) universities like UQ and Monash.
60,432 students were eligible for an ATAR in NSW. 53 students achieved a perfect 99.95 ATAR (comprising 34 males and 19 females). 1,045 students achieved an ATAR of 99.00 or above. The median ATAR in 2025 was 70.75.
UC Berkeley and UCLA are the top two public universities in the country, with seven UC campuses in the top 25 and all nine undergraduate campuses in the top 45, according to the 2026 Best Colleges rankings, released today (Sept. 22) by U.S. News & World Report.
Even though, Times Higher Education has some good parameters, but QS remain the most strongest ranking system that is very close to the actual performance of the universities.
Your ATAR doesn't determine your success
Employers and universities are increasingly valuing practical skills, creativity and life experience just as much as academic performance. So if your ATAR isn't what you expected, don't panic. It's simply one stepping stone on your path forward.
What is the rank 1 school in Australia? The top-ranked school in Australia can vary, but academically, Sydney Grammar School in New South Wales is often at the top due to its outstanding results in both ATAR and IB exams.
An ATAR of 80 is not extremely rare but is a very respectable achievement, placing you in the top 20% of your Year 12 age group, meaning you performed better than 80% of your peers nationally. While the median ATAR is around 70, achieving an 80 is difficult and requires strong performance, though it's considered achievable with consistent effort, unlike very high ATARs (90+) which are much rarer.