LAST year's Sheldon College dux has achieved a top ATAR score, placing him among the state's elite scholars under the new graduate ranking system.
Harry Towner achieved a score of 99.60, equivalent to an OP 1 on the old overall position system, while a further five per cent of the private school's graduates went on to secure an ATAR of 98.85 or greater.
It was a successful year for the school's 2020 seniors despite the difficult circumstances surrounding COVID-19, which saw students learn from home for a period of time starting in April.
In all, 99 per cent of Sheldon College's 2020 graduates who applied to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre were accepted into university, with 76 per cent earning their first preference.
More than a quarter of the grade - 30 per cent - achieved ATAR scores higher than 90, which equates to an OP between one and five.
The schools median ATAR was 84.35, with 12 per cent of the cohort achieving 100 per cent on their internal assessments, and 27 per cent achieving 95 per cent and above.
Principal Dr Lyn Bishop said staff, parents and community members of Sheldon College were extremely proud of the students' academic achievements.
"I would also like to thank the College's staff most sincerely for the outstanding work done in preparing our students for such success," she said.
The introduction of the ATAR system last year aligned Queensland schools with the rest of the country.
It saw the Queensland Core Skills test scrapped and replaced by individual subject-based external examinations, which in most cases counted for up to 25 per cent of a student's subject result.
In maths and science subjects, external exams accounted for up to 50 per cent of a student's score.
"At Sheldon College, we will continue to deliver a senior curriculum that will see our students poised for success, not only in the QCE System, but more importantly to ensure our students have the necessary capabilities to thrive beyond the gates of Sheldon College," director of secondary academics Jarrod Pleass said.
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