Noah Smith was thrilled to receive his Atar on Wednesday, but he’s prouder of a scar tree he created at the front of his high school, which will remain there long after he’s gone.
The Gomeroi teenager was the first Aboriginal school captain at Barrenjoey high school on Sydney’s northern beaches, and says its the support of his teachers and the school that have gotten him through the six years.
“I lost my dad when I was halfway through primary school and that’s been a huge part of my life,” he says.
“When my parents first looked at moving up here [to Avalon], my dad came to the open day here and saw what a fantastic school this was. That’s what encouraged him to move us here as a family – public education has always been so important to us.
“Being able to get an Atar without him here is such a big achievement. It’s the teachers that have gotten me through.”
A record 2,265 Aboriginal students were enrolled in New South Wales’ Year 12 cohort this year, up from 2,085 in 2021. Dubbo College Senior Campus broke its own record with 75 Aboriginal enrolments.
In total, 57,194 students were eligible for an Atar across the state, an increase of 1,671 on 2023.
Discrepancy continued between top performing males and females – of the 51 students that received a perfect Atar of 99.95, 42 were male and just nine were female. But females performed better overall, with a median Atar of 72.40 compared with 70.40 for males.
Almost a fifth (17.8%) received an Atar of 90.00 or above, 35.5% received an Atar of at least 80.00 and more than half (52.6%) received at least 70.
Barrenjoey high school achieved among its best results in history, with 19 students receiving an Atar of 90 or above. Almost 100 achieved a band six, and 240 achieved a band five.
The school’s principal, Brett Blaker, pins the success to the hard work and dedication of staff – as well as a strong sense of belonging.
“There’s been stability of staffing … we’re positioned in a very affluent community, a lot of our families have choice of education, so it’s a huge challenge to get our local kids to come to the local school,” he says.
“When we have outcomes like this, it’s driven by dedicated teachers that go above and beyond.”
Megan Gibson was dux of the cohort with an Atar of 98.65.
Another high-achiever, Ava Roberts, needed to get a 95 to get into commerce at the University of Sydney. She scored 97.1.
“I woke up at 4am, went back to sleep and woke up again at 5.30,” she says. “Then I got the notification and had a look. I went to my parents and said ‘oh, I did good’,” she says with a laugh.
“I just feel relieved. The waiting period is over. From tomorrow, I’ll probably never think about my Atar again.”
Roberts was among dozens of Year 12 graduates gathering on campus for the last time to celebrate their success over morning tea. Teachers patted them on the back and hugged them goodbye, some tearily.
Year 12 graduate at Barrenjoey, Lucas Strachan, emerged from Year 12 with an Atar of 81.55 and a handmade drinks cabinet.
Strachan capitalised on the school’s HSC VET courses, obtaining a band six – the highest level – in timber and construction.
“I’m decently happy,” he says. “Today doesn’t feel incredibly significant, but maybe it hasn’t hit me yet.”
Year 12 graduate Asher Fletcher didn’t “entirely” expect to get an Atar of 91.3, but he wasn’t shocked.
“The website didn’t load, so that was nerve-wracking,” he says. “But everyone was doing it altogether, all communicating. So it was all right.”
Fletcher’s HSC legacy extends beyond his Atar. His major work in multimedia was a short film based on his grandfather’s first NRL game.
“They played it here, and he came, it was very emotional,” he says. “I’m pretty proud, we’ve all done super well.”
Brooke Gibson and Luci Dragicevich also got creative in Year 12, with their major textile projects shortlisted for TexStyle 2024 – showcasing excellence in students’ work.
“I loved the practical side of the subject because you got to experiment – you drove it,” Gibson says. “There was a creative freedom, and you end with an object.”
Gibson achieved a 94.15, and a band six in all her subjects. “That was really exciting,” she says. “I was lowering my expectations.”
For Dragicevich, who obtained an Atar of 89.5, school has never been her “strong suit”.
“I was really surprised,” she says. “I wasn’t really good at school, but my friends were all so encouraging, they really brought me up.”
For Smith, the sense of community he’s experienced is a legacy he hopes to take next year to the Australian National University, where he’ll be studying arts and science.
At every school ceremony, he’s performed the Acknowledgement of Country. He’ll be back on campus in 2025 to display an art piece, crafted from the scar tree’s bark.
Scarred trees, which involves removing bark from a tree to expose its sapwood, have been created by Aboriginal people for thousands of generations for cultural purposes, tools and shelter.
“School hasn’t always been designed to fit Aboriginal ways of teaching and learning,” he says. “It’s a system we’ve been made to be a part of. But this school has tried to be as supportive as possible.”
• This article was amended on 18 December 2024. Megan Gibson was dux of Barrenjoey high school with an Atar of 98.65, not Ava Roberts as an earlier version said.
