School bounces back in ATAR rank

Karratha’s major public high school is climbing back up the ranks after a slow few years that saw it struggle at the bottom of the State’s ATAR school rankings.

The 2019 end-of-year results showed Karratha Senior High School ranked 110th out of 142 schools across WA, with a median ATAR result of 71.35.

These results were a stark improvement on the 2018 ATAR results, when the school ranked 137th out of 148 with a median ATAR of 61.9.

In 2017, the school ranked 132nd out of 146 with a median ATAR of 63.7.

Karratha Senior High School principal Mario Tufilli said the students were to be congratulated on their efforts. “These improvements highlight the strong performance of all our students across their ATAR courses,” he said.

“We have a strong focus on academic rigour at Karratha Senior High School.

“Our staff are dedicated to delivering the best education and support for students, and monitor each individual’s progress to ensure they are on track to achieve success.”

Mr Tufilli said the students were able to access exam revision seminars through a Woodside partnership. “Through the continued support from the Woodside North West Shelf Project Karratha Education Initiative, our students also accessed exam revision seminars and workshops both in Karratha and Perth,” he said. As well as an improvement in rank, the number of Year 12 students at the school in 2019 was at an all-time high, with 134 students completing their final year, a figure that was just at 56 five years ago.

Of the 134 Year 12 students, 30 achieved an ATAR, with the highest-performing student achieving an outstanding 97.00.

Mr Tufilli said the growing number of students in Year 12 demonstrated the community’s confidence in the school.

“Karratha Senior High School provides a comprehensive range of programs and pathway options that meet students’ needs and give them opportunities towards employment, further training and university,” he said.

The only other Pilbara high school on the list was Hedland Senior High School, which ranked 140th with a median ATAR of 55.95.