Celebrations continue for the class of 2017: Pathways released

Another year of outstanding VCE results and pathways

In 2017 we achieved an excellent set of outcomes that continue to reflect a consistent positive trend over the past 8 years. Importantly, the percentage of students achieving above 70, 80 and 90 remains a positive feature and provides broad ranging tertiary options.

Some features of the 2017 results:

• Two students shared Dux, each earning an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) of 99.7.  Congratulations Jack Puccini and Viktor Schwantner.
• Anastasia Adams-Picard was Dux Proximus with an ATAR of 99.35.
• 48 students (18.3%) earned an ATAR of 90 or above, with 18 students achieving 95+
• 98 students (37.5%) earned an ATAR over 80
• 144 students (55.2%) earned an ATAR of 70 or above. This puts them in the top 30% of results in the state
• Two sets of twins were featured in the Herald Sun: Mira and Lucy Tonkin and Ted and Bill Clayton all excelled, earning ATARs of over 95.

The number of students achieving 80+ has been consistently above 35% which is a very good outcome – a testament to the consistent effort and focus on improvement amongst both staff and students, and to the strong and supportive family partnerships.

This group's results compares well with the average performance over the last decade and represents consistent strength across the wide range of subjects and pathways available to students. 

Also of note:

• Our median ATAR score was 72.7
• Our mean ATAR score was 69.3
• There were two (2) perfect Study Scores of 50 for Australian History and Global Politics, plus a 50 in Italian via Distance Education
• 126 Study Scores of 40 and above
• The mean study score (across all students and all subjects) was 30.6 and the median study score was 31.

Following the better path

Whilst the VCE results are cause for celebration, the true test of a successful school is in how it equips its students for future pathways. The signs are good for the 2017 cohort, with the release of Round 1 Tertiary Offers promising an array of stimulating and challenging learning. We will have a full report in future newsletters, but here are some of the early highlights:

• 95% of students who applied for a tertiary place received a first-round offer
• The large majority of these received their first or second preference
• Three scholarships were awarded to Northcote students - for Monash, LaTrobe and University of Melbourne
• The top three destinations of choice for Northcote students were: RMIT (28% of offers); LaTrobe  University (20%); University of Melbourne (19%)
• A number of students also received offers from interstate universities including ANU, UNSW and University of Adelaide
• The top three areas of study for Northcote students were Science, the Arts (including Journalism and Communications) and Business

It was wonderful to see that the courses our students are pursuing reflect the diversity of individual passions and strengths that we encourage them to explore throughout their time at Northcote. From Patisserie to Music, Industrial Design to Biomedical Science, Law and International Relations to Agriculture and Marine Biology,  Northcote alumni are represented!