Geelong College No.1

GEELONG College is the region’s highest performing school, according to Melbourne’s largest education data provider.

Based on the percentage of study scores greater than 40 for VCE students last year, the Good Education Group has named the Newtown school as the region’s best.

More than 17 per cent of Geelong College students attained a study score of more than 40 in 2016 with the median study score coming in at 34 — two points higher than Geelong Grammar.

Geelong College has set its Year 12 fees at $27,200 this year with an extra $21,936 required for students who board at the school.

The list of Geelong’s top school’s released today includes Sacred Heart College, Christian College, Kardinia International College, Saint Ignatius College, St Joseph’s College and Lorne-Aireys Inlet P-12 College.

Fees for Year 12 at the schools vary from $4700 at Saint Ignatius College to $14,148 at Christian College.

The state’s most expensive private school, Geelong Grammar, was not included in the Good Education Group’s list of top five Geelong schools.

This year fees for “day boarding” Year 12 students at the Corio school was set at $38,460.

The school’s ranking may have been skewed due to the high number of its students who complete the International Baccalaureate.

The VCE alternative is a highly respected program of international education that aims to develop intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills. IB scores were not factored into the Good Education Group’s list.

The Good Education Group’s Good Schools Guide 2018 also shows Apollo Bay P-12 is one of the state’s most improved in terms of median study score.

Between 2012 and 2016 the median study score at the school rose from 28 to 32, putting it on par with Geelong Grammar

Good Education Group chief executive Chris Lester said more parents were researching the performance and culture of schools to pick one which suited their child.

“At the end of the day, every student and parent wants a school that fits their child’s requirements,” Mr Lester said.

“We are seeing a lot more now that a family with two or three children are not necessarily sending them to the same school.

“Parents are being more discerning and choosing something that fits the individual student.”

Mr Lester said the Good Schools Guide should be used as a tool to increase understanding of the Victorian education system.