February 2, 2026 — 5:00am
Melbourne High School, Loreto Mandeville Hall, and Melbourne Grammar School have emerged as leaders in academic excellence, showcasing significant improvements in their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) scores. This achievement is attributed to innovative educational strategies that have been implemented over the past decade.
Melbourne High School student Daniel Wanglikitkoon, a year 12 student, exemplifies this success. Drawn to mathematics and physics, Daniel expanded his science studies by taking VCE biology in year 11, achieving a remarkable score of 48 out of 50. This placed him among the top-scoring VCE biology students, contributing to Melbourne High’s reputation for sustained improvement in top VCE scores.
Innovative Educational Approaches
The Age’s Victorian Schools Guide has revealed these results through a new interactive dashboard, enabling parents and students to assess the performance of government, Catholic, and independent schools across the state. The dashboard, updated regularly, aims to guide families in making informed school choices.
Analysis of the schools’ performance shows that subjects like biology at Melbourne High School, legal studies at Loreto Mandeville Hall, and business management at Melbourne Grammar School have seen upward trends. These schools attribute their success to strategies such as early subject enrollment, mentorship from past top performers, and dedicated teachers who lay strong academic foundations from early years.
Early Subject Enrollment and Mentorship
At Melbourne High, biology is the most popular year 12 VCE subject for year 11 students, many of whom aspire to study medicine. The school has seen a rise in students achieving study scores of 40 or higher, from 16 students in 2016 to 48 in 2024, and 45 in 2025.
“Our year 11 students, when they are working at that level, have no other distractions, and they’re not splitting their time. They have laser focus and do brilliantly,” says Josh Slocombe, the school’s VCE coordinator.
Meanwhile, Loreto Mandeville Hall has implemented a “year 13” mentoring program, where former year 12 students return to mentor current students. This initiative has led to a rise in legal studies scores, with 22 students achieving a score of 40 or higher last year, up from 10 in 2016.
“Mentors offer more direct feedback to students than teachers. They also provide a role model for what you need to do to be successful,” says Jill Fitzsimons, director of teaching and learning at Loreto Mandeville Hall.
Comprehensive Curriculum and Extracurricular Activities
Melbourne Grammar School has also seen significant improvements in business management scores, with the number of students achieving scores of 40 or higher rising from four in 2017 to 30 in 2024. The school’s curriculum includes foundational subjects in younger years, such as financial planning in year 8 and entrepreneurship in year 9.
“It’s not just the over 40s, it’s those we get who maybe would have gotten a 30, and we bring them up to a 35. Because if we lift the middle, then the whole cohort benefits, the class benefits and everyone improves,” says Lisa Ritchie, head of commerce at Melbourne Grammar School.
Extracurricular activities also play a crucial role in strengthening student-teacher bonds, further contributing to the schools’ academic success.
Looking Ahead
The achievements of these schools highlight the importance of innovative educational strategies in fostering academic excellence. As schools continue to evolve and adapt, the focus remains on providing students with the tools and support needed to excel in their studies.
With the ongoing updates to The Age’s Victorian Schools Guide, parents and students have access to valuable resources that will aid in making informed educational choices. As these schools demonstrate, a commitment to excellence and innovation can lead to remarkable academic outcomes.
