James Ruse Agricultural High School

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James Ruse Agricultural High School is one of four New South Wales Government agricultural high schools. It is a selective, co-educational public high school located at Carlingford, New South Wales, Australia. The school is especially noted for its academic excellence, ranking 1st out of all New South Wales high schools in 2016 for the 26th consecutive year since 1991, as well as 1st in the national government NAPLAN tests across Australia since establishment.There are currently 845 students enrolled at James Ruse in Years 7 through to 12. James Ruse is an academically selective high school; admission to James Ruse in Year 7 is only through the Selective High Schools Test, which is open to all Year 6 NSW students. A small number of students from other high schools are accepted in year 9, 10 and 11, through application made directly to the school. Of the student population, around 95% are from a non-English-speaking background, predominantly Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian and Sri Lankan student language groups.HistoryIn 1949 the main part of the school grounds was purchased by the NSW Government for the purpose of Agricultural Education. The school that commenced on this site in 1956 was an annexe of Carlingford District Rural School with Charles Mullavey as the Master in Charge. At that time the school consisted of a wooden five room classroom block, a small staff-room and ablution facilities. By the start of 1958 the school was independent of Carlingford District Rural School and was called the "Carlingford Junior Agricultural High School" (reflecting that students could only undertake the first three years of secondary education at the school).