Years 8 to 11 at Hornsby Girls High School: The Form, the HAST and How Offers Are Made
Hornsby Girls High School is a fully selective girls' school in Hornsby. Applications for Years 8 to 11 go straight to the school: families send it an application form, and their daughter takes the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST), an ACER test. Selective Success Academy prepares girls for this test with live online small-group classes on Microsoft Teams.
- Entrance test
- The HAST, which ACER develops, sets and marks
- Years taken
- Years 8, 9, 10 and 11: one application round, one test day
- How to apply
- Send the school a copy of the NSW Department of Education's form by the closing date. No electronic applications
- What to send
- Years 8 to 10: the form only. Year 11: the form and her most recent school report
- 2027-entry round (last cycle)
- Open 17 June, closed 24 July 2026, no late applications. Test day: Saturday 8 August 2026
- 2028 entry (exams in August 2027)
- No dates yet from the school or the Department
Last checked 3 October 2026. We read the school's own enrolment page, the application form it links to, which the NSW Department of Education publishes, and the Department's guidance on Years 8 to 11 applications.
Founded in 1930, Hornsby Girls High School has no local area intake, so a girl who lives nearby still applies and sits the test like everyone else. Year 7 entry is a separate examination set by the NSW Department of Education; this guide is about joining in a later year. Families who have not been through a move to a selective school after Year 7 can begin with our selective school transfer guide for the wider picture.
How Years 8 to 11 entry works at Hornsby Girls High School
The steps below are the 2027-entry round as Hornsby Girls High School's enrolment page describes it. That page has not been updated for 2028 entry and does not say the round is over, but the NSW Department of Education confirms that applications for 2027 entry have closed. Read the school's page again when the next round appears.
- Decide on your schools, up to three, and their order. The school's page puts the limit at three, and says each school you are seeking needs its own application. The NSW Department of Education wants your schools ranked identically on every form.
- Download and fill in the application form. The school's page links to the Department's own form for Years 8 to 11 entry. Last cycle's edition was for 2027 entry, and you ticked the year your daughter was applying for: 8, 9, 10 or 11.
- Pay the administration fee, if Hornsby Girls High School is your first preference. Last cycle it was $140, paid before the closing date through the school's online Payment Portal, with your daughter's name entered as the name on the payment. The portal is linked from the enrolment page.
- Add the attachments for her year of entry. For Years 8 to 10 there are none. For Year 11, add her most recent school report. The detail is under "What to send with the form" below.
- Return a copy of the form to the school by the closing date. Because of the volume of applications, Hornsby Girls High School cannot take them electronically, so do not email it. The page does not say whether to post the form or hand it in. If you are unsure, ask the office, which is open 8:15am to 3:15pm on weekdays during term, according to the school's contact page. Last cycle's closing date was Friday 24 July 2026, and the school does not accept late applications.
- Test day at the school. Girls with Hornsby Girls High School as their first preference sat it at the school, on Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby, on Saturday 8 August 2026. The enrolment page gives no arrival or start time, so confirm the details with the school before test day.
- Her test result decides her position on the waiting list. The school says each student's performance in the test determines where she sits on its waiting list for enrolment.
- An interview, by invitation only. The school says that when vacancies become available, the Principal or a representative may consider inviting applicants from the waiting list to an interview. The Principal then decides whether to make an offer.
- Outcomes. The school does not say when it releases outcomes. For last cycle, the Department's timeline gave a September to October 2026 window for Years 8 to 11 outcomes, and late January 2027 for successful applicants' entry into their new school. The school's waiting list for the 2027-entry round stays open until the end of Term 1 2027.
Year 11 is decided a different way. There, the number of new students is the Principal's decision, made on HAST performance, and the school says it will vary from year to year.
What to send with the form
What to include depends on the year your daughter is applying for:
- Years 8, 9 and 10: the completed application form and nothing else. The school says it does not accept any supporting documents for these years, so school reports and NAPLAN results stay out.
- Year 11: the completed form plus a copy of your daughter's most recent school report, and only that report.
Nothing else appears on the school's list. If you think another document might be needed, ask Hornsby Girls High School before you send the form rather than adding it.
If Hornsby Girls High School is not your first preference
Last cycle, Hornsby Girls High School lined up its test arrangements with a group of other selective schools for Saturday 8 August 2026. Its list of these coordinating schools:
- Caringbah High School
- Fort Street High School, for Year 11 only
- Girraween High School
- Gosford High School
- Hurlstone Agricultural High School
- Macquarie Fields High School
- Northern Beaches Secondary College, Manly campus, which the school's list calls Manly Selective Campus
- Penrith Selective High School
- St George Girls High School
- Sydney Technical High School
Hornsby Girls High School's list for the 2027-entry round, as at 3 October 2026. We write out the Manly campus's full name as the NSW Department of Education gives it in its list of selective high schools.
If your first preference is one of these schools, you apply, pay for and sit the test at that school, not at Hornsby Girls High School. If Hornsby Girls High School is then your second or third preference, you must still send it an application form, so the school has your preference on record. Its page gives no fee for that case. Applying to a selective school outside this group? Hornsby Girls High School says to deal with that school directly. ACER's HAST student support page adds that when two of your schools test on the same date, your daughter sits the HAST at one school only.
Key dates
The 2027-entry round, last cycle (exams in August 2026)
Hornsby Girls High School printed its own application dates, test date and waiting list date for the 2027-entry round. The outcome window and the entry timing come from the NSW Department of Education.
| Event in the 2027-entry round | Date | Published on |
|---|---|---|
| Application round opened | Wednesday 17 June 2026 | Enrolment page |
| Closing date, no late applications accepted | Friday 24 July 2026 | Enrolment page and the Department's application form |
| HAST at Hornsby Girls High School, for first-preference applicants | Saturday 8 August 2026 | Enrolment page |
| Outcomes due, in the Department's window | September to October 2026 | Department guidance |
| Entry for successful applicants (the Department's timing) | Late January 2027 | Department guidance |
| Hornsby Girls High School's waiting list closes | End of Term 1 2027 | Enrolment page |
As at 3 October 2026, for 2027 entry only, from the sources named in each row.
2028 entry (exams in August 2027)
Nothing about 2028 entry is on Hornsby Girls High School's website yet. When we checked every page of it on 3 October 2026, none mentioned the year 2028, and the Department's own Years 8 to 11 applications page still listed only last cycle's dates. The school publishes no pattern for when its round usually opens, so we do not estimate one. Bookmark the school's enrolment page and check it from time to time.
The test
The test is the HAST. ACER, the Australian Council for Educational Research in Melbourne, develops, sets and marks it. Hornsby Girls High School's administration fee funds the setting and marking, plus the external invigilators who supervise the sitting. ACER's list of participating schools enters Hornsby Girls High School for junior, middle and senior secondary testing, levels that between them cover entry to Years 8 to 11, so the level your daughter sits follows her year of entry. ACER lets each school choose its test package, and Hornsby Girls High School's page does not say which HAST tests its package includes.
Our HAST guide explains each test, how long it runs and which level applies to which year.
How we prepare students for Hornsby Girls High School
At Hornsby Girls High School, the HAST result sets your daughter's position on the waiting list, and for Years 8 to 10 the school accepts no supporting documents beside it. For Year 11, the Principal sets the intake on HAST performance. So for most applicants, the HAST is the main thing to prepare for.
In our HAST tutoring course, your daughter learns in a small group, live over Microsoft Teams. Each term has ten weekly lessons of two hours. She works from lesson and homework booklets, gets her weekly homework back with marking feedback, can rewatch any lesson from its recording, and sits one full-length mock exam in the term, which is then reviewed in depth.
We write our own HAST-style practice questions. None of them is ACER material, and none is a past paper.
If you would like help choosing and ordering up to three schools, book a call.
Free practice and guides
- Free practice: our HAST practice test, with worked answers.
- The application: what each school asks for, and how to make each part strong.
- The interview: selective school interview questions and how to prepare.
- By entry year: Year 8, Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 entry, every school compared.
Prices for our HAST course
| What you get | Price |
|---|---|
| Term course, live: 10 weekly lessons of 2 hours each, on Microsoft Teams | $900 a term, which is $90 a lesson |
| The same live course, booked at the early bird price | $800 a term |
| Term course, recordings only | $600 |
| Two term courses | $1,400 |
Prices as at 1 October 2026.
The live term course is 20 hours of teaching, so $900 works out at $45 an hour. It includes small group classes, lesson recordings, a full-length mock exam with a comprehensive review, marking feedback on weekly homework and the mock, lesson and homework booklets, and online messaging support.
A question bank gives your child practice. It does not contain any teaching hours, and it cannot tell you which school to apply to, what the school report needs to show, or when the application closes.
HAST class times are listed on our timetable. For our other courses and their prices, see courses and prices.
Our students at Hornsby Girls High School
Selective Success Academy students have received offers from Hornsby Girls High School. Read our founder's own story below, then what families say about our classes.
Who teaches this
Ilia founded Selective Success Academy and is its head tutor. He has been through this himself: he missed out on selective school at first, then entered North Sydney Boys High School by lateral transfer. He became a North Sydney Boys High School Dux, finished school with a 99.90 ATAR and now studies Medicine at UNSW. His story was featured in The Sydney Morning Herald in April 2026.
What families say
Thank you to Selective Success Academy for the quality teaching and support provided throughout the year. We especially appreciate Ilia’s dedication, clear explanations, and positive approach to learning. His guidance has helped our child build both confidence and academic skills.
It was a good engagement with Selective Success Academy since last term. Ilia explains concepts clearly and to the level of difficulty required. The mock exams and feedback were helpful. A well-run program.
Ilia has been a truly supportive mentor at Selective Success Academy. His patient and well‑structured approach has helped make even the most challenging topics feel manageable and clear.
Rated 5/5 from 90+ parent reviews
80+ selective school offers. See our students' results
Questions parents ask about Hornsby Girls High School entry
Does my daughter need to sit the HAST for Hornsby Girls High School?
Yes, for entry in Years 8 to 11. Hornsby Girls High School's enrolment page requires the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST), which it says ACER develops. It also says the Principal sets the Year 11 intake on HAST performance. A girl with Hornsby Girls High School as her first preference sits it at the school. Our HAST guide covers what is in the test.
How many places are there?
How many places come up varies by school and year level, and every selective school decides its own intake. Hornsby Girls High School's enrolment page explains how places arise there. In Years 8 to 10, a new girl can join only if someone already enrolled leaves. In Year 11, the Principal settles the size of the new intake, guided by HAST performance, and the school says this will vary from year to year. The school sets this out so families can make an informed choice about applying. Selective Success Academy gives no figure for any school. We are happy to go through your daughter's options on a short call.
Has Hornsby Girls High School published its 2028-entry dates?
No. As of 3 October 2026, no page on the school's website referred to 2028, and its enrolment page was still the one for last cycle. In that round, the form could be returned between Wednesday 17 June and Friday 24 July 2026, late applications were refused, and test day was Saturday 8 August 2026. Any new dates will be the school's to announce.
How much is the application fee?
Last cycle, for 2027 entry, the administration fee was $140 when Hornsby Girls High School was your first preference, paid online before the closing date with your daughter's name on the payment. It pays ACER to set and mark the HAST and external invigilators to supervise it. If your first preference was one of the schools that coordinated testing with Hornsby Girls High School, you paid that school instead, and Hornsby Girls High School's page gave no fee for that case. A fee for 2028 entry has not been published.
Is there an interview at Hornsby Girls High School?
Sometimes. If vacancies become available, the Principal or a representative may consider inviting applicants from the waiting list to an interview, and the Principal then decides whether to make an offer. So an interview depends on a vacancy and an invitation. The school publishes nothing on how the interview runs.
Can I send the application by email?
No. Hornsby Girls High School says the volume of applications means it cannot accept them electronically. Return a copy of the completed form to the school by the closing date. Its page does not say whether to post it or hand it in, so if you are unsure, ask the school office before the deadline.
Sources
These sources were all read on 3 October 2026.
- Hornsby Girls High School: Enrol
- Hornsby Girls High School: contact us
- Hornsby Girls High School: about us
- NSW Department of Education: Years 8 to 11 application form, 2027 entry (PDF), linked from the school's enrolment page
- NSW Department of Education: selective high schools, Years 8 to 11 applications
- NSW Department of Education: list of selective high schools
- ACER: HAST participating schools
- ACER: HAST student support
- ACER: Higher Ability Selection Test
Not sure which test or school suits your child? Book a short call with Ilia, or let your child try a lesson first.