Series
Best education news from the Herald
From the best schools in your area to the big issues facing our universities, get balanced news on education.
Where Australian teachers rank compared with the rest of the world
A new OECD report shows Australian teachers fare better than their peers in other countries when it comes to salary.
- Christopher Harris
After three years with ChatGPT, what’s the value of a university degree?
From being accused of plagiarism by a software program to cheating through degrees, this is how students are dealing with the rollout of AI.
- Christopher Harris
- Exclusive
- Education
We re-ranked schools by HSC average scores. Only one achieved more than 90
Band six results alone don’t show the breadth of the achievements of NSW’s best schools, so we analysed the average marks of all students.
- Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
One in 10 high school students banned from class as suspensions skyrocket
Critics of the increased suspension of students argue they will become further disengaged in learning.
- Lucy Carroll
The university college in Sydney where one in 12 students cheated last year
More are trying to use AI to cheat in exams, but one faculty has the highest concentration of cheats.
- Christopher Harris
How this 162-year-old Sydney private boys school is preparing for girls
Newington headmaster Michael Parker has revealed some of the elite English schools he visited to plan for the co-ed change, as opponents continue legal action to block it.
- Lucy Carroll
- Exclusive
Revealed: The secrets behind Sydney’s top schools for HSC maths
Just three schools average above 90 for HSC mathematics, but the big improver in recent years is Concord High. Here’s their secret.
- Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
- Exclusive
What really works in raising students’ academic results
Eight key teaching practices behind high-performing schools have been identified in a new report from the NSW Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.
- Lucy Carroll
‘Scaring off poor students’: HECS relief welcome, but high fees have become a barrier
Graduates with a $50,000 HECS debt will soon have $10,000 wiped off, but current first-year students will not see the same financial windfall.
- Christopher Harris
A third of students are falling behind in NAPLAN. Here’s a school that is bucking the trend
Students from migrant families outperformed their Australian-born peers in all year groups and areas tested.
- Lucy Carroll
‘We haven’t looked back’: How these eight schools are turning around results
It started with one humble Central Coast school. Now a teaching revolution is sweeping the district.
- Lucy Carroll
More than 30,000 students do this HSC subject. Fewer than 200 get top marks
More students are choosing standard English over advanced English in the HSC – and a large performance gap has opened up between the courses.
- Cindy Yin
The majority of students get top marks in these HSC subjects – if their school offers them
When selecting HSC subjects, NESA recommends students pick a subject they love. However, for many kids, doing a subject they are passionate about is not always feasible.
- Emily Kowal
No phones, no traffic: Why parents are choosing boarding schools
NSW private boarding school enrolments are slowly recovering after being hit by a major fall in local and international student numbers.
- Lucy Carroll
- Exclusive
Why experts want NSW schools to introduce a new subject
Students and teachers are “crying out” for the chance to engage in this important topic.
- Emily Kowal
Other series
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026
This year’s laugh fest has kicked off, with more than 2000 performers stepping up to the mic. Here, our writers take a closer look
- 9 stories
Hate of origin: Inside football’s most intense rivalry
Essendon and Hawthorn have hated each other for more than 40 years, from some old-fashioned thuggery and a fake drug scandal in the mid-80s to last year’s failed bid by the Hawks to poach the Bombers’ captain.
- 5 stories