Fully selective public Subiaco, Perth Established 1911

Perth Modern School.

WA's only fully academically selective public school. Number one for academic ranking in WA every year from 2016 to 2023, and seven 99.95s in 2024. Entry via the GATE test in Year 6.

Inside Perth Modern

Perth Modern is WA's only fully academically selective public school. Established in 1911, it is also the oldest public high school and the oldest co-educational high school in Western Australia. Originally a regular selective entry school, Modern transitioned to full academic selection between 2007 and 2011, and every student now enters through the centrally-administered Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) test taken in Year 6.

The school sits on a compact, leafy Subiaco campus close to UWA and the city. Compared to top-tier private schools, the campus is small and the facilities more functional than ornamental, Perth Modern's reputation is built on its students and its results, not its real estate.

The school states that it held the number one academic ranking for the WACE in 2016 to 2023 and again in 2025; it also notes that in 2024 The West Australian's analysis placed it second. The WA School Curriculum and Standards Authority stopped publishing per-school median ATARs after 2022, so any recent state ranking is a third-party estimate, not an official figure. In 2024, seven Perth Modern students achieved a perfect 99.95 ATAR, out of 18 statewide, and the cohort took 11 Subject Exhibitions and 19 General Exhibitions from SCSA.

What Perth Modern is known for

Selective-entry academic culture

Every student passes the GATE test, which means the cohort is uniformly high-performing. That changes the classroom dynamic in ways most schools can't replicate, peer-driven engagement, accelerated pace, and strong norms around academic effort.

Olympiads and academic competitions

Perth Modern dominates Australian Maths and Science Olympiads year after year, with its students consistently selected for international training squads. The school's Olympiad and competition culture is one of its best-known features.

Public school, no fees

Despite its results, Perth Modern is a public school. There are no tuition fees, only the standard public-school voluntary contributions, which makes the school an unusual access point for high-performing students from any background.

Strong Year 12 ATAR record

In 2024, seven students scored 99.95, out of 18 across the whole state, plus 11 Subject Exhibitions and 19 General Exhibitions. When SCSA still published school medians (up to 2022), Perth Modern's sat well clear of every other public school in WA.

Things to consider

Perth Modern isn't the right fit for every student. Here are the genuine tradeoffs to think through, drawn from publicly available information about the school.

Selective entry is competitive

The GATE test sits roughly 10,000 students for around 280 places across all GATE schools. Of those, Perth Modern selects the top performers. Realistic expectations help.

Pressure is real

A school where every student is academically selected is, by design, pressurised. Students who haven't built strong study habits going in can struggle to keep pace, regardless of underlying ability.

Compact campus

If extensive on-campus sports facilities matter to you, Perth Modern's footprint is smaller than top private schools. Most sport happens through external clubs or shared community facilities.

Travel from south of the river

Subiaco is north of the river. For students south of the city, the daily commute is significant. Many Perth Modern families either move closer or accept the travel time.

The ATAR pathway at Perth Modern

Perth Modern students take some of the most ambitious ATAR combinations in the state. The dominant combinations: Pre-medicine (Methods + Specialist + Chemistry + a humanity), Pure STEM and engineering (Methods + Specialist + Physics + Chemistry), Pre-law (Literature + History + a Language + Methods), and Olympiad-leaning (Methods + Specialist + Physics + Chemistry plus extension competitions).

Post-school, Perth Modern graduates spread widely. UWA is still the largest destination but a meaningful fraction head interstate (Melbourne, Sydney, ANU) or overseas (Oxbridge, Ivy League, top US engineering and music schools). Ambition isn't unusual at Modern; it's the median.

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From Perth Modern to our Bentley centre

About 12 km from our Bentley centre and a 20 to 25-minute drive via Loftus Street and the Mitchell Freeway. The 998 bus runs from St Georges Terrace and gets students to Bentley in roughly 25 minutes, which makes after-school slots possible without a parent lift.

Educatta near Perth Modern School

Suburbs we serve near Perth Modern School

Most Perth Modern School students live in these suburbs. Pick yours to see drive times, local schools and pickup routes.

📍 Bentley 📍 Karawara 📍 Manning 📍 Waterford 📍 St James

Perth Modern School questions

Common questions from Perth Modern School families

How far is Perth Modern School from Educatta's centres?

Does Educatta tutor the subjects Perth Modern School students typically take?

Yes. Educatta tutors all the major ATAR subjects Perth Modern School students are sitting: Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Applications, English, Chemistry, Physics, and Human Biology. Year 11 and 12 students from Perth Modern School can attend small-group classes at our Bentley centre, or live online from anywhere in WA.

Can Perth Modern School students attend Educatta classes after school?

Yes. Most of our weekly classes run between 4:00pm and 8:30pm on weekdays, with weekend slots also available. Perth Modern School's school day finishes in time for students to arrive at our Bentley centre for after-school weekly classes.