Mount Scopus also had a median study score of 38, equal to the top median score achieved by any school in Victoria last year. Camberwell Grammar headmaster Paul Hicks congratulated the school’s four duces, but said he was equally proud of those students whose scores would not make it into newspaper reports. Loading "No score on its own can reveal the story behind a student’s year," Dr Hicks said. "Some of our students faced significant issues throughout the course of the year and nevertheless did the very best they could.

"We should celebrate their achievements as much as we celebrate those of the boys with the top scores. We value each one of them, and congratulate them all." Several government schools also achieved outstanding academic results. A student at Melbourne High, a select-entry school, and one at Box Hill High School also achieved the maximum ATAR of 99.95. Forty-one per cent of students at Suzanne Cory High, a select-entry school in Melbourne’s west, were ranked above 90, while the school’s median ATAR was 87.9. Kai Chue was the school’s dux, with a ranking of 99.80. "I am really happy, it was the score I was aiming for. It took a lot of motivation and trying to keep myself on the right track," Kai said. He plans to study commerce and law at the University of Melbourne.

Results at non-select entry school Balwyn High were equally impressive. Twenty students received an ATAR above 99, and 41 per cent of students were ranked above 90. Northcote High School said it had had its best results since 2016. Nineteen per cent of students got an ATAR above 90 and 40 per cent scored above 80. The school’s median study score was 30 and its median ATAR was 74.4, compared with a statewide average of 67.74. Principal Susan Harrap said the school was very pleased with the results. "The kids’ hard work has really paid off," she said. Mentone Girls Secondary College dux Alicia Gilpin achieved an ATAR of 99.65. "We’re over the moon with our school’s results, coming from one of our biggest cohorts. Our dux score is our highest in many years," principal Linda Brown said. Alicia hopes to go to Monash University next year to study physiotherapy. In regional Victoria, Harry Cushin was dux of Donald High School in the state's north-west, with an ATAR of 93.35. "I was pretty stoked to wake up to see my score," Harry said. "We have great teachers who went the extra mile to help me achieve the best I possibly could."

He hopes to study exercise science and sports management at Deakin University, or perhaps physiotherapy. However, there was also disappointment amidst the jubilation. Marcellin College school leaver Max Poletti was pessimistic before checking his VCE results this morning. "Whatever I get, I’ll be disappointed," Max said. When he checked his ATAR, he found that his score was not enough to get him into the course he was hoping for, the Bachelor of Design at Melbourne University. "It’s not like I didn’t see it coming," he said. His mum, Lia, has some words of encouragement for him: "A good mark and getting into the course doesn’t mean everything, when the passion is there, you make it." According to the Education Department, a record 98.1 per cent of VCE students completed their studies this year.