ORMISTON College is the bayside’s best performing school based on OP scores.
More than 30 per cent of its 123 OP-applicants achieved a score between one and five.
The data was released on Sunday by Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, as part of its year 12 outcomes report.
Springfield Anglican College took out the state’s top spot, followed closely by Brisbane Grammar and Brisbane State High schools.
More than 55 per cent of OP-applicant students at those three schools achieved high scores.
While parents might be looking at the figures to decide which school to send their child, a peak body representing state secondary principals has warned against using numbers for sole judgement.
Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association president Mark Breckenridge said it was unfair to assume schools with higher proportions of top OP students offered a better education.
“There are a whole lot of factors at play and one factor doesn’t make it better,” he said.
He described the data as narrow and said it did not account for numbers of students interested in pursuing trades and extra-curricular activities, suggesting parents visit prospective schools to find out more.
Bowman MP Andrew Laming, who is chair of a standing committee on employment, education and training, said Redlands schools offered different strengths.
He congratulated Ormiston and Sheldon colleges for the high number of OP applicants but lambasted other schools he analysed as having lower than expected numbers.
“(Figures revealed) 26 of the 67 Capalaba College students graduated with an OP which was as expected,” he said.
“Wellington Point achieved 52 OPs out of 151 (students) and Victoria Point 52 out of 179 (students).
“Both of these schools were well short of the 50 per cent OP level that is the state benchmark for communities of their socio-economic profile.”
He said Cleveland District and Alexandra Hills state high schools produced more OP students than expected and both with average OPs of 11, a good result.
“(They) could not be split in the race for Redland’s best government school,” he said.
He said Carmel and Redlands colleges produced mean OPs of 10 for their students – “though Carmel achieves this with a less advantaged parent population,” he said.
“Both of these colleges graduate 8 per cent more OP students than equivalent schools state wide, whereas Faith Lutheran performs as predicted, with a mean OP of 11.6 last year.”
Mr Laming said more data would be released in March.
The OP scoring system will be scrapped in Queensland by 2020, replaced with Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, which is used by other states.
The ATAR is number between 0.00 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05, whereas the OP consists of 25 bands.
For more school statistics information, visit QCAA’s website here.
