NSW Opportunity Class Schools — How Many, Where, and How to Choose

NSW has 89 opportunity classes in government primary schools: 57 of the schools are in metropolitan Sydney and 31 are in rural or regional centres. Together they offer about 1,840 Year 5 places each year. There is also Aurora College, which runs online opportunity classes for rural and remote students. Opportunity classes (OC) are for Years 5 and 6, and entry is through the OC placement test, sat in Year 4 (NSW Department of Education).

The Department’s Find an opportunity class search on that page is the only complete, current list, including how many places each school has. This guide explains how OC works, gives examples of OC schools by region, and covers what to weigh up when choosing.

What are opportunity classes?

An opportunity class is a Year 5 or Year 6 class made up entirely of students placed through the OC test. It sits inside an ordinary public primary school. The Department runs OC as part of its High Potential and Gifted Education policy.

• Two-year program: students join in Year 5 and stay for Year 6. You cannot apply for Year 6 alone.
• Class size: most OC schools take 15 Year 5 students a year and run one composite class of 15 Year 5 and 15 Year 6 students. Others take 30 or more, with separate Year 5 and Year 6 classes.
• Part of the whole school: OC students share assemblies, sport, excursions and the playground with the rest of the school.
• No fees: it is a public school program.
• Not your local school: many OC students travel from other areas, so taking a place often means changing schools.

Every public school also has to support high-potential students under the same policy, so an OC place is not the only way to be stretched. For how OC compares with school-based programs, see is OC the same as gifted and talented?

Examples of OC schools by region

These schools appear on the Department’s published list of opportunity classes. It is a sample, not the full list, and schools are occasionally added (Artarmon and Woollahra Public Schools gained opportunity classes in 2025). Check the current list before you apply.

Inner West and City

• Summer Hill Public School
• Ashfield Public School
• Balmain Public School
• Wilkins Public School (Marrickville)
• Alexandria Park Community School

North Shore and Northern Beaches

• Artarmon Public School
• Chatswood Public School
• Neutral Bay Public School
• Lindfield East Public School
• Beecroft Public School
• Balgowlah Heights Public School

Western and North-Western Sydney

• North Rocks Public School
• Matthew Pearce Public School (Baulkham Hills)
• Ironbark Ridge Public School (Rouse Hill)
• Blaxcell Street Public School (Granville)
• Toongabbie Public School

Eastern, Southern and South-Western Sydney

• Woollahra Public School
• Maroubra Junction Public School
• Hurstville Public School
• Miranda Public School
• Harrington Street Public School (Cabramatta)

Regional NSW

Regional opportunity classes include schools in Wollongong, Gosford, Newcastle, Tamworth, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Bathurst, Armidale and Port Macquarie. For families far from any of them, Aurora College offers about 100 online OC places a year while students stay at their local school. More in our guide to OC for rural NSW families.

How to choose an OC school

You can choose between one and four schools, in order of preference. Your child receives at most one offer: from the highest choice their result qualifies for. The Department advises choosing only schools your child would genuinely attend, and choices can be changed until a week after the test.

• The daily trip: your child will be 9 or 10. A 15-minute trip is very different from 45 minutes each way by bus and train, every day for two years.
• The whole school: OC sits inside a larger school, so visit if you can and look at the school as a whole, not just the OC class.
• Before- and after-school care: if you need it, check availability and waiting lists early.
• Siblings: if younger children stay at your local school, plan for two drop-offs and pick-ups.

The most common regret is choosing the best-known school without weighing the trip. A child who arrives fresh and gets home with time to play usually does better than one who spends two hours a day travelling.

Applying and the test

1. Apply online at the end of Year 3 or the start of Year 4. For the last cycle (Year 5 entry in 2027), applications ran from 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026, and late applications were not accepted.
2. Sit the test in May of Year 4: Reading (40 minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (40 minutes) and Thinking Skills (30 minutes), on computer, with no writing section. The next test is expected in May 2027; check the Department’s site for the date.
3. Receive the outcome in the application dashboard. Outcomes for 2027 entry were released on 9 September 2026. They show an offer, a reserve-list place or no offer for each school you chose.

Up to 20% of places at each school are held for students in equity groups, including students from low socio-educational advantage areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from rural and remote areas, and students with disability.

For the test itself, see our OC test guide and how to prepare for the OC test. You can also try 5 OC sample questions without signing up.