A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems. The opposite is a comprehensive school, which accepts all students, regardless of aptitude. The split between selective and comprehensive education is mainly seen at secondary level; primary education is rarely selective. At the university level, selection is almost universal, though some institutions practice open admissions or open-door enrollment allowing students to attend regardless of prior qualification.
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In New South Wales, selective high schools are government schools that select students on the basis of academic ability. Most students enter a selective high school in Year 7, after sitting the Selective High Schools Test in the previous year. The process of entering selective schools is much like that of a university, with students electing their preferences and being chosen for schools based on their performance on the Selective High Schools Test.[1]
In Victoria, Australia, selective high schools select all of their students based on an entrance examination. As of 2011 there are five selective schools: Melbourne High School, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, John Monash Science School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School.[2]
In Queensland, selective high schools are both private and public. Most private high schools are selective based on interviews, primary school grades and other considerations. In 2005, the then Premier of Queensland, Peter Beattie announced as part of the Smart State Strategy the creation of the Queensland Academies "as an innovative alternative educational program for high achieving high school students."[3] There are currently three Queensland Academies for students Years 10 to 12 and all study the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
The Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) at Toowong was opened in 2007. It has a partnership with the University of Queensland at St Lucia.
the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries (QACI) at Kelvin Grove opened in 2007. It has a partnership with the Queensland University of Technology Creative Industries Precinct at Kelvin Grove.
The Queensland Academy for Health Sciences opened on the Gold Coast (QAHS) in 2008. It has a partnership with Griffith University at the Gold Coast.
Most schools in the UK are now comprehensive schools, which are non-selective. However there are still 164 grammar schools in several counties of England, which select pupils either on the basis of an Eleven Plus examination, by an internally set and moderated examination, or by both. There are a number of selective schools in Scotland and Wales, some of ancient foundation.
Some formerly Grant Maintained schools were selective by means of exams, tests, interviews; or a combination of all three.
These Local Education Authorities continue to maintain a fully selective education system:
Several other LEAs have a mainly non-selective system but a few selective schools exist alongside their comprehensive counterparts, these are; Barnet, Birmingham, Bromley, Calderdale, Cumbria, Devon, Enfield, Essex, Gloucestershire, Kirklees, Lancashire, Liverpool, North Yorkshire, Plymouth, Redbridge, Stoke on Trent, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Wolverhampton, Telford and The Wrekin.
There are also a smaller number of partially selective schools in England.
In Northern Ireland, a similar system of grammar schools is being dismantled by the Northern Ireland Education Order, which is going through Westminster.
Selective schools in the United States are typically high school level, and are often also specialized schools. In New York, students must take the competitive Specialized High Schools Admissions Test prior to possible admittance to one of the schools. Though many selective schools are of the high school level, there are also schools which provide to lower aged students. One example is the Logan School for Creative Learning in Colorado which admits students 1-8th grade mainly by IQ testing.
The German Gymnasium (university preparatory school) is a selective school. The German Realschule is also a selective school; however the Realschule is not to be confused with the "advanced Realschule" or the "Realschule Plus", which are non-selective schools.