State high schools have surged ahead in OP stakes with students outperforming ... - Herald Sun

Ashleigh Gehrig, Bethany Rognoni and Maisha Rahman (front) are three of 11 Centenary Heights State High School students in Toowoomba who gained an OP1. PIC: Cathy Finch Source: The Courier-Mail

STATE high schools have surged ahead in the OP stakes, with students outperforming some of their prestigious private school counterparts.

While some private schools have posted Overall Position results showing a handful of students achieved OP1s, The Gap State High School recorded 10, Centenary Heights State High School had 11 and Brisbane State High School had 39.

OP scores, which range from a top of OP1 to a bottom of OP25, are used by tertiary institutions to place students, with 2012 high school graduates being made offers today.

More than 38,000 higher education hopefuls will wake to find an offer to study at one of the state's universities, colleges or TAFEs.

Of the 59,542 who applied for Semester 1 entry to institutions in Queensland, the universities of New England and Southern Cross in northern NSW and the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania, 38,059 received an offer today.

They join around 11,400 others who received offers late last year in selected performing arts, distance education and other courses.

Applicants could access their offers via the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre website from 1am today.

BSHS had its best OP results on record last year - the second year in a row it has bettered its own milestones - with 94.8 per cent of OP-eligible students achieving an OP1 to 15 and 42.2 per cent an OP1 to 5.

About 30 per cent of its Year 12 students were academically selected last year, but more than half came from the local area.

BSHS executive principal Wade Haynes said he was very happy with the results, which followed an increased focus on individual students' goals and progress.

The Gap State High School principal Russell Pollock said 10 OP1s was the most they had posted in recent years and it was a strong statement about public education for their community.

Centenary Heights State High School, which teaches students from 43 nationalities, also posted an individual record of 11 OP1s, while 94.3% of OP-eligible students achieved an OP1 to 15.

It is the second year in three that the school has achieved above 90 per cent in the OP1 to 15 category and principal Maryanne Walsh said quality teaching, high expectations tracking student progress was key.

Narangba Valley State High School had more than 90 per cent of its OP-eligible students achieve an OP1 to 15 for the third year in a row.

Aspley State High School had 92 per cent in the category.

The 2012 school-by-school OP results are yet to be released but figures on school websites show St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School had one of the highest OP1-15 percentages statewide on 97 per cent, with Brisbane Girls Grammar School and Toowoomba Grammar School posting highs of about 94 per cent.

Brisbane Grammar School , which is the state's most consistent top OP performer, is yet to release its results but is understood to have had more than 39 OP1s.

BGS headmaster Brian Short said he was unable to release figures until they were conveyed first to staff, students and parents but he was very happy with them.

QUT data expert Dr Judy Smeed said all sectors had posted outstanding results, with the tracking of student data proving key to top performances.Visit qtac.edu.au to see if you've been offered a place.