James Ruse Agricultural High School
James Ruse Agricultural High School (colloquially known as Ruse or JR) is a government-funded co-educational academically selective and specialist secondary day school, located in the Sydney suburb of Carlingford, New South Wales, Australia, long known for being the highest academically ranked high school in Australia. The school is also one of four New South Wales Government agricultural high schools.
| James Ruse Agricultural High School | |
|---|---|
Located at James Ruse Agricultural High School, this house was built for the Felton family in 1885 on their farming property; pictured in 1999. | |
| Location | |
Carlingford, Sydney, New South Wales Australia | |
| Coordinates | 33°46′52″S 151°2′31″E |
| Information | |
| Other name | Ruse, JR |
| Type | Government-funded co-educational academically selective and specialist secondary day school |
| Motto | Latin: Gesta Non Verba (Deeds not words) |
| Established | 1959 |
| Educational authority | NSW Department of Education |
| Specialist | Agricultural school |
| Principal | Rachel Powell |
| Years | 7–12 |
| Enrolment | c. 835 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colour(s) | Bottle green, Gold |
| Rival | Baulkham Hills High School |
| Website | jamesruse-h |
The school is especially noted for its academic excellence, having ranked 1st out of all New South Wales high schools in the Higher School Certificate for 32 consecutive years from 1991 to 2022, as well as 1st in the national government NAPLAN tests across Australia since their establishment. Although they ranked 2nd in the HSC in 2023, they continue to rank 1st nationally in the NAPLAN.
There are approximately 835 students enrolled at James Ruse in Year 7 through to Year 12. James Ruse is an academically selective high school; admission to James Ruse in Year 7 is only through the Selective High Schools Test, which is open to all Year 6 NSW students. A small number of students from other high schools are accepted in Year 9, 10 and 11, through application made directly to the school. In 2019, approximately 97% of the student population came from a language background other than English.