Is Mac.Robertson Girls' High School a Good School?

Is Mac.Rob a good school? Yes, for a high-achieving girl who wants a selective peer group and can manage the daily trip to Kings Way in Melbourne. The more useful question for most families is fit: is Mac.Rob a better match for your daughter than Suzanne Cory, Nossal or a strong local school?

Planning the bigger picture? Start with our complete guide to selective entry schools in Melbourne. Ready for exam details? See the Mac.Rob entrance exam page.

What is Mac.Rob actually?

The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, often shortened to Mac.Rob or MacRob, is one of Victoria’s four government selective entry high schools.

Mac.Rob at a glance

• Type: Government selective entry high school, Years 9 to 12
• Established: Formally in 1934
• Gender: Girls only. It is the only single-gender school for girls among Victoria’s four selective schools.
• Location: 350-370 Kings Way, Melbourne VIC 3004
• Zoning: Not zoned. Students come from across Victoria.
• Main entry: Year 9, about 300 places each year
• Later entry: Years 10 and 11, about 2 to 7 places, only when vacancies occur, and not offered every year
• Fees: No annual tuition fees. Voluntary contributions are requested.

Why do families rate Mac.Rob?

A selective peer group. Every Year 9 student has sat the same selective entry exam, so your daughter learns alongside girls who enjoy being stretched and who take their studies seriously.

Girls only. Some families want a selective school for girls specifically, and Mac.Rob is the only one in Victoria. For many girls, that is the main reason it goes to the top of the list.

A central location. Kings Way sits close to the city, which can make the trip workable from many inner and middle suburbs.

A public school. Mac.Rob is a government school with no annual tuition fees. For families comparing it with private girls’ schools, that matters.

What are the honest caveats?

• The commute. From outer suburbs, a daily trip to Kings Way can be long. Weigh the travel time against sleep, homework and the activities your daughter loves. Families in the west or south-east may find Suzanne Cory or Nossal much closer.
• Intensity and comparison. A room full of strong students can be motivating. It can also be stressful for a girl who is used to being top of the class. Think honestly about how your daughter handles that.
• Girls only is not for everyone. Some girls want a co-ed school. Suzanne Cory and Nossal are both co-ed selective schools.
• A change of school at Year 9. Mac.Rob has no Year 7 or Year 8 entry. Your daughter will start high school somewhere else and move after two years, leaving friends behind.

Does Mac.Rob charge fees?

No annual tuition fees. As a government school, Mac.Rob asks families for annual voluntary contributions through its Parent Payment Policy. Details are on the school’s Entry to Mac.Rob page.

How hard is it to get into Mac.Rob?

It is competitive. According to The Age (Caroline Schelle, 17 October 2026), there are only about 1,000 new places across Victoria’s four selective entry schools each year, but thousands of students sit the entry exam. Mac.Rob takes about 300 of them into Year 9.

Parents often search for a “Mac.Rob acceptance rate”. Neither the school nor the Department publishes a cut-off score or an acceptance rate, so any percentage you see online is a guess. What is published is how places are offered:

• 85% of places go by exam rank.
• Up to 10% go through equity places.
• Up to 5% are at the principal’s discretion.
• No more than 4% of places can go to students from any one source school.

Some other rules to know. Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens, or hold a visa or ImmiCard that exempts them from International Student Fees. Fee-paying international students cannot apply. Mac.Rob does not keep a waitlist.

With that much competition, many families start preparing months ahead of the exam.

Get your free VIC Selective Entry paper · or try 5 sample questions without signing up

How do you get into Mac.Rob?

Your daughter sits the Victorian selective entry exam in Year 8, the year before she would start. The exam is run by ACER and is the same exam used by all four selective schools.

1. Apply. Applications for 2028 entry are expected to open in March 2027.
2. Sit the exam. The 2026 exam was on Saturday 20 June 2026. The 2027 date has not been announced, but expect June 2027.
3. List your preferences. Include Mac.Rob, plus any other selective schools that suit your family.

The exam has three parts:

• Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning: 60 minutes
• Reading and Verbal Reasoning: 55 minutes
• Writing: 40 minutes

For full details, see our Mac.Rob entrance exam page.

How does Mac.Rob compare with the other selective schools?

Melbourne High School. Melbourne High is the boys’ selective school. For families with a son and a daughter, the two are often weighed together. Read Is Melbourne High School a good school? or Melbourne High vs Mac.Robertson.

Nossal High School. Nossal is co-ed and sits in Berwick, so it often suits south-east families who want to avoid a long trip into the city. Read Is Nossal High School a good school?

Suzanne Cory High School. Suzanne Cory is co-ed and based in Werribee, a natural option for families in Melbourne’s west. Read Is Suzanne Cory High School a good school?

How should she prepare for the exam?

Practise the exam’s skill areas under timed conditions, so the real day feels familiar. EduSpark has 120 VIC Selective Entry papers, with one free paper per subject and no card needed. You can also try 5 sample questions without signing up.

For skill-by-skill help, read our guides to verbal reasoning strategies and mastering numerical reasoning.

Writing needs its own practice, because we don’t mark writing. If you want more papers later, full access is $149 for all four subjects plus full-length mocks, or $59 for one subject. It is a one-time payment for 12 months, with no renewal and a 7-day money-back guarantee. See pricing or the VIC selective entry overview.

Get your free VIC Selective Entry paper

Bottom line: Mac.Rob is a strong choice for a girl who wants a selective, girls-only school and can manage the commute. Choose it because it fits your daughter, not because of a ranking table.

Sources

• The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, Entry to Mac.Rob
• The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, What is MacRob
• Victorian Government, Selective entry high schools
• ACER, Prepare for the Victorian selective entry exam

EduSpark is not affiliated with The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, ACER or the Victorian Department of Education.