What exactly is a 'school rank'? please help :) (1 Viewer)

[chris94]

Ok so I know this is a dumb question, but I'm confused. What exactlty is a 'school rank'? On here in everyone's ATAR estimate discussions, people are also taking into consideration their 'school rank' when deciding on their ATAR, not only their individual rank in each subject.
Is it what your school is ranked in the state? And how does it affect your ATAR? Please help

 

[Aysce]

Ok so I know this is a dumb question, but I'm confused. What exactlty is a 'school rank'? On here in everyone's ATAR estimate discussions, people are also taking into consideration their 'school rank' when deciding on their ATAR, not only their individual rank in each subject.
Is it what your school is ranked in the state? And how does it affect your ATAR? Please help

Yes it is what your school is ranked in the state against other schools. It indirectly affects your ATAR as cohorts within different ranked schools vary within quality. So for example, you go to a top 5 school, your cohort is most likely to be very strong hence this will be advantageous to your ATAR since it assists in improving your internal mark. If you go to a rank 600 school, the cohort is most likely to be weak, hence they may drag your internal marks down unless you are first.

 

[chris94]

Yes it is what your school is ranked in the state against other schools. It indirectly affects your ATAR as cohorts within different ranked schools vary within quality. So for example, you go to a top 5 school, your cohort is most likely to be very strong hence this will be advantageous to your ATAR since it assists in improving your internal mark. If you go to a rank 600 school, the cohort is most likely to be weak, hence they may drag your internal marks down unless you are first.

Ahk this makes sense, thanks. Where can we find our school ranks? haha

 

[enoilgam]

Yes it is what your school is ranked in the state against other schools. It indirectly affects your ATAR as cohorts within different ranked schools vary within quality. So for example, you go to a top 5 school, your cohort is most likely to be very strong hence this will be advantageous to your ATAR since it assists in improving your internal mark. If you go to a rank 600 school, the cohort is most likely to be weak, hence they may drag your internal marks down unless you are first.

This pretty much. Although, just keep in mind that school rankings arent official and they dont really rank schools in the best manner possible. School ranks are based on DA count, which doesnt produce the most accurate rankings of many schools (especially lower ranked schools).

 

[cem]

And also remember that any school rank you see will be based on some other cohorts work and isn't necessarily the rank that will be the rank that comes out of your cohort. Every year the schools are re-ranked based on the lastest performance.

e.g. last year James Ruse came 1st so a current James Ruse student would be putting 1st in the ATAR calculator for 'school rank'

Now imagine that this year's James Ruse cohort was much weaker than last year's cohort and the schools' rank dropped to 100 (yes I know fanciful but this is simply being done to explain the situation) then next year when a James Ruse student puts their school rank into the ATAR calculator they would be putting in 100th as the ranks change yearly.

What your school rank was last year will have no bearing on your results - it is an indication of the strength of the school over time - but the lower the ranks in the schools the bigger jumps that they can make e.g. my school, in one year, went from 586 to 346 and the following year back to the 400s before back up to the 300s and then again down to the 500s - small cohorts and difference between 1 or 2 DAs each year.