Below are the 2018 high school rankings across NSW based on HSC results.
NSW schools are ranked according to their ‘success rate’ which is the ratio of Band 6 (or E4) to student entries.
| School | 2017 Rank | 2016 Rank | High Scores | Entries | Success Rate |
| James Ruse Agricultural High School | 1 | 1 | 785 | 1014 | 77.42% |
| Baulkham Hills High School | 2 | 2 | 778 | 1264 | 61.55% |
| North Sydney Boys High School | 3 | 3 | 579 | 979 | 59.14% |
| Sydney Girls High School | 4 | 13 | 570 | 1004 | 56.77% |
| Sydney Boys High School | 5 | 7 | 681 | 1236 | 55.10% |
| Sydney Grammar School | 6 | 6 | 644 | 1189 | 54.16% |
| Hornsby Girls High School | 7 | 5 | 416 | 781 | 53.27% |
| North Sydney Girls High School | 8 | 4 | 478 | 934 | 51.18% |
| Ascham School | 9 | 18 | 284 | 566 | 50.18% |
| Northern Beaches Secondary College Manly Campus | 10 | 9 | 393 | 803 | 48.94% |
| Conservatorium High School | 11 | 10 | 95 | 199 | 47.74% |
| Fort Street High School | 12 | 21 | 448 | 989 | 45.30% |
| Normanhurst Boys High School | 13 | 11 | 363 | 807 | 44.98% |
| Abbotsleigh | 14 | 14 | 389 | 890 | 43.71% |
| Moriah College | 15 | 27 | 297 | 689 | 43.11% |
| SCEGGS Darlinghurst | 16 | 12 | 274 | 648 | 42.28% |
| Reddam House | 17 | 8 | 186 | 442 | 42.08% |
| Kambala | 18 | 16 | 195 | 500 | 39.00% |
| Knox Grammar School | 19 | 28 | 660 | 1743 | 37.87% |
| Pymble Ladies’ College | 20 | 31 | 508 | 1367 | 37.16% |
| Presbyterian Ladies’ College Sydney | 21 | 36 | 270 | 729 | 37.04% |
| Girraween High School | 22 | 20 | 300 | 821 | 36.54% |
| Meriden School | 23 | 22 | 214 | 589 | 36.33% |
| St George Girls High School | 24 | 17 | 323 | 913 | 35.38% |
| Roseville College | 25 | 40 | 199 | 572 | 34.79% |
| Tangara School for Girls | 26 | 67 | 195 | 34.36% | |
| Penrith High School | 27 | 32 | 329 | 961 | 34.24% |
| Kincoppal – Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart | 28 | 24 | 205 | 608 | 33.72% |
| Sydney Technical High School | 29 | 35 | 280 | 858 | 32.63% |
| Loreto Kirribilli | 30 | 25 | 257 | 792 | 32.45% |
| MLC School | 31 | 67 | 145 | 450 | 32.22% |
| The King’s School | 32 | 30 | 380 | 1195 | 31.80% |
| Wenona School | 33 | 15 | 216 | 685 | 31.53% |
| SHORE – Sydney Church of England Grammar School | 34 | 26 | 345 | 1096 | 31.48% |
| Alpha Omega Senior College | 35 | 41 | 148 | 475 | 31.16% |
| St Aloysius’ College | 36 | 23 | 282 | 908 | 31.06% |
| Queenwood School for Girls | 37 | 19 | 109 | 354 | 30.79% |
| Merewether High School | 38 | 37 | 337 | 1097 | 30.72% |
| Caringbah High School | 39 | 29 | 267 | 872 | 30.62% |
| Ravenswood School for Girls | 40 | 39 | 172 | 573 | 30.02% |
| Cranbrook School | 41 | 55 | 274 | 924 | 29.65% |
| Loreto Normanhurst | 42 | 44 | 298 | 1023 | 29.13% |
| Emanuel School | 43 | 38 | 108 | 371 | 29.11% |
| Hurlstone Agricultural High School | 44 | 34 | 281 | 966 | 29.09% |
| Al Noori Muslim School | 45 | 100 | 91 | 321 | 28.35% |
| St Ignatius’ College | 46 | 47 | 402 | 1442 | 27.88% |
| Santa Sabina College | 47 | 46 | 181 | 664 | 27.26% |
| Frensham School | 48 | 50 | 91 | 337 | 27.00% |
| Masada College | 49 | 74 | 77 | 287 | 26.83% |
| Gosford High School | 50 | 48 | 282 | 1065 | 26.48% |
| Barker College | 51 | 33 | 493 | 1908 | 25.84% |
| Brigidine College Randwick | 52 | 56 | 210 | 813 | 25.83% |
| Cheltenham Girls High School | 53 | 53 | 277 | 1079 | 25.67% |
| Al-Faisal College | 54 | 42 | 123 | 511 | 24.07% |
| Sefton High School | 55 | 52 | 241 | 1019 | 23.65% |
| St Luke’s Grammar School | 56 | 57 | 121 | 516 | 23.45% |
| St Catherine’s School | 57 | 45 | 151 | 649 | 23.27% |
| Newtown High School of Performing Arts | 58 | 82 | 199 | 859 | 23.17% |
| Danebank – An Anglican School For Girls | 59 | 68 | 144 | 633 | 22.75% |
| Parramatta Marist High School | 60 | 51 | 195 | 868 | 22.47% |
| Willoughby Girls High School | 61 | 65 | 192 | 865 | 22.20% |
| Arden Anglican School | 62 | 115 | 91 | 412 | 22.09% |
| St Augustine’s College Sydney | 63 | 95 | 185 | 849 | 21.79% |
| Trinity Grammar School | 64 | 103 | 169 | 780 | 21.67% |
| Freeman Catholic College | 65 | 69 | 236 | 1095 | 21.55% |
| Chatswood High School | 66 | 73 | 201 | 944 | 21.29% |
| Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College | 67 | 72 | 192 | 909 | 21.12% |
| Cherrybrook Technology High School | 68 | 58 | 374 | 1773 | 21.09% |
| Malek Fahd Islamic School | 69 | 76 | 79 | 379 | 20.84% |
| Brigidine College St Ives | 70 | 49 | 155 | 751 | 20.64% |
| Marist College Kogarah | 71 | 122 | 133 | 648 | 20.52% |
| International Grammar School | 72 | 94 | 115 | 561 | 20.50% |
| Australian International School Hong Kong | 73 | 54 | 47 | 235 | 20.00% |
| The Scots College | 74 | 78 | 211 | 1075 | 19.63% |
| Tara Anglican School for Girls | 75 | 43 | 88 | 450 | 19.56% |
| Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta | 76 | 97 | 151 | 783 | 19.28% |
| St Joseph’s College | 77 | 88 | 216 | 1127 | 19.17% |
| Killara High School | 78 | 61 | 245 | 1316 | 18.62% |
| Carlingford High School | 79 | 85 | 175 | 941 | 18.60% |
| Smiths Hill High School | 80 | 60 | 147 | 791 | 18.58% |
| Mount St Benedict College | 81 | 86 | 137 | 738 | 18.56% |
| Oxley College (Burradoo) | 82 | 63 | 70 | 381 | 18.37% |
| Central Coast Grammar School | 83 | 70 | 111 | 620 | 17.90% |
| Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls Campus | 84 | 91 | 171 | 961 | 17.79% |
| Newcastle Grammar School | 85 | 64 | 80 | 452 | 17.70% |
| Epping Boys High School | 86 | 118 | 197 | 1135 | 17.36% |
| Northholm Grammar School | 87 | 232 | 35 | 204 | 17.16% |
| Newington College | 88 | 87 | 170 | 992 | 17.14% |
| Bethany College | 89 | 116 | 136 | 797 | 17.06% |
| Redfield College | 90 | 59 | 38 | 223 | 17.04% |
| Castle Hill High School | 91 | 102 | 231 | 1376 | 16.79% |
| Inaburra School | 92 | 117 | 94 | 562 | 16.73% |
| Burwood Girls High School | 93 | 110 | 181 | 1083 | 16.71% |
| Shire Christian School | 94 | 175 | 60 | 364 | 16.48% |
| Macquarie College | 95 | 144 | 51 | 311 | 16.40% |
| St Patrick’s College, Strathfield | 96 | 90 | 161 | 983 | 16.38% |
| St Ursula’s College | 97 | 75 | 137 | 849 | 16.14% |
| Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah Boys Campus | 98 | 62 | 39 | 242 | 16.12% |
| St Vincent’s College | 99 | 79 | 103 | 652 | 15.80% |
| The Hills Grammar School | 100 | 71 | 79 | 501 | 15.77% |
