High potential and gifted education

In our classroom

Our teaching and learning programs offer our students the high academic standard they are seeking, whether in the selective or mainstream, while providing differentiation to support learners at all stages. Our classrooms are engaging, inclusive and supportive. At our school we provide:

• Differentiated teaching and learning through content choice, student input and stimulating learning environments.
• Differentiated tasks that adjust pace, complexity and higher-order thinking​.
• A range of learning activities tailored to meet the needs of students with high potential in all domains.
• Formative assessment to monitor growth and adapt learning​.
• Explicit teaching of content which provides clear learning intentions and success criteria.
• Opportunities for student collaboration and ideation within flexible groupings.
• Supportive learning environments that promote confidence, self-reflection and enable risk taking and perseverance.
• A strength based approach to student feedback and goal setting.​

Across our school

Student leadership

Parramatta High School provides a variety of Student Leadership and Community Service opportunities through elected leadership bodies including the Prefects, Student Representative Council, House Captains, Social Justice League and the Leos Club as well as individual opportunities such as membership of the Parramatta Youth Alliance, Peer Support leading and Peer Reading.

Academic Competitions

Students participate in the Australian Mathematics Competition, as well as national competitions in Geography and History and a number of writing competitions. The Inquisitive Minds Mathematics competition pits students against other local schools, as do Debating, Public Speaking and Mock Trial competitions.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) opportunities abound at Parramatta High School with teams of students competing in a number of competitions such as Metro Minds, NRMA Future of Transport Challenge and the Game Changer Challenge, which was won in 2025 by a team of students from our school.

Sport

The school is a member of the Prospect Zone sporting association which gives talented athletes the opportunity to compete at zone, regional and state level in Athletics, Swimming and Cross Country. Team sport opportunities also abound, with teams competing at Gala Days and in statewide Knockout Competitions. Our elite Cricket Academy has teams in all years and the Boys Open team were Sydney West finalists in the Alan Davidson Shield in 2025.

Performing arts

Musicians and singers are well catered for through our band program with a variety of Concert and Big Bands as well as a choir. School events such as Variety Night and Performing Arts Showcase provide performance opportunities.

Clubs and extra-curricular activities

A vast array of student-initiated clubs and activities are active in the school, allowing students to explore and extend themselves in their areas of interest. Here is a sample of these:

• Visual Arts Club
• Writing Club
• Sports Journalism Club
• Coding Club
• Tech Society
• French Club
• EP Global Language Competition
• Chess Club
• Business Society
• Law Society
• Science Olympiad
• Maths Olympiad
• UBS Young Women’s Leadership Academy

Across NSW

Our students participate in a wide range of statewide programs to extend and enrich student potential. Being part of a large public education system gives access to high quality support for high potential and gifted students. Partnerships with universities and industry partners provide rich learning opportunities:

• Talented musicians audition for ensembles and choirs in the NSW Dept of Education Arts Unit and attend State Music Camp, providing opportunities to hone musical skills and build connections with other talented musicians and mentors.
• A number of our students each year perform in the NSW Schools Spectacular, a wonderful showcase of public education.
• The Premier’s Debating Challenge engages teams of students in an interschool competition, strengthening their teamwork, use of language and skills in logical argument.
• Public Speaking Competitions build confidence and language skills.
• Teams of students compete in STEAM competitions such as Metro Minds and Game Changer Challenge.
• University visits and careers days.
• The Premier’s Sporting Challenge promotes participation in physical activity for all students.
• Representative sport pathways through the Combined High Schools competitions allows students to trial and compete in team and individual sports at regional, state and national levels, promoting team work, perseverance and commitment.