Opportunity Class Schools in NSW: How Placement Works

An Opportunity Class (OC) is a two-year program (Years 5 and 6) in selected NSW government primary schools, for academically high-potential students. Entry is decided by the OC placement test sat in Year 4.

How many OC schools are there?

There are roughly 75+ primary schools across NSW that host Opportunity Classes, spread across Sydney and regional areas — the exact list changes over time. The NSW Department of Education publishes the current list; check it to see which schools are realistic for your location, since you'll usually need to be able to travel there daily.

How placement actually works

• You nominate and rank preferences. As part of the application you choose OC schools in order of preference.
• Placement is by test score and your preferences. Offers are made using your child's placement score against each school's demand — higher-demand schools have higher effective cutoffs.
• Cutoffs vary every year by school and by how many strong applicants nominate it, so there is no fixed "score you need." Popular schools are more competitive.
• One offer at a time. You may be offered a place, join a reserve list, or be unsuccessful; reserve lists can move as families decline offers.

Choosing your preferences

• Be realistic about travel — a place you can't get to daily isn't useful.
• Rank honestly by preference, not by trying to "game" cutoffs — the system places you at the highest-preference school your score reaches.
• Have a plan B. Not getting an OC place is common and not a failure — your local school plus enrichment at home works well for many families, and the Selective test in Year 6 is a fresh opportunity.

School lists, preference rules and dates are set by the NSW Department of Education and change over time — always confirm the current details on their official Opportunity Class page.

Preparing for the test itself? Start with free OC practice and the OC test timeline.