VCE 2025: Government Schools Lead in Subject Breadth, Specialist Subjects Drive Top Scores
New data reveals Victorian government schools offer a wider range of VCE subjects than many private institutions, with specialist electives emerging as a major source of high achievement across the state.
Subject Offerings and Enrollment
An analysis of enrollment data shows that nine of the top ten schools in Victoria for the number of VCE subjects offered are in the government sector. The specific schools and their offerings include:
- Virtual Schools Victoria offers 99 VCE subjects, the highest number statewide.
- Mildura Senior College and Templestowe College are tied for second, each offering 86 subjects.
- Ringwood Secondary College offers 78 subjects, with 355 students enrolled in at least one.
- Melbourne High School, a select-entry government school, offers 50 VCE subjects, with 722 students enrolled.
"Catering only to Years 11 and 12 allows the college to concentrate resources and offer a wide range of subjects." — Belinda Hudak, Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president
Officials provided context for these figures. Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Belinda Hudak, a former principal of Mildura Senior College, stated that catering only to Years 11 and 12 allows the college to concentrate resources and offer a wide range of subjects. Ringwood Secondary College principal Rosina Fotia noted that about a quarter of her students take at least one vocational subject and that student interest drives subject offerings. Melbourne High School principal Tony Mordini said subject offerings are also driven by student interests, with strong interest in subjects that prepare students for the next academic stage.
Education Minister Ben Carroll stated that Victorian students have a choice of more than 90 VCE studies, four VCE Vocational Major (VM) studies, and more than 60 VCE-Vocational Education and Training (VET) certificates.
The analysis also noted that select-entry and high-fee independent schools tend to have lower ratios of subjects to students and offer fewer vocational subjects, focusing more on traditional academic subjects.
High Achievement in Specialist Subjects
A separate analysis of 2025 VCE study scores, presented in the Victorian Schools Guide, indicates that while English and mathematics frequently contribute to high scores in many schools, numerous institutions achieve their best results in specialist elective subjects, including outdoor education, business management, food studies, and art.
Key findings from this analysis include:
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Frankston High School recorded the highest number of top-scoring results in Victoria for outdoor and environmental studies. Of 48 Year 12 students who took the subject, 15 achieved a study score of 40 or higher (placing them within the top 10 percent statewide), and another 11 scored 37 or above. Principal Andrew Batchelor attributed the program’s strength to its focus on land and water conservation and practical skills.
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Among the 472 Victorian schools offering VCE in 2025 that secured at least one study score of 40 or higher, nearly one-third recorded more top scores in English than in any other subject. English also had the highest VCE enrollments.
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General mathematics was the top subject for achieving 40+ study scores in 100 schools.
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Business management was the top subject for 35 schools, health and human development for 27, biology for 25, and psychology for 18.
"While mathematics methods is a school strength, mandatory sport participation through Year 12 also contributes to student focus." — Tony Mordini, Principal of Melbourne High School
- Melbourne High School, an all-boys select-entry institution, achieved 109 study scores of 40 or higher in mathematical methods, representing almost a third of its students who took the subject. Principal Tony Mordini stated that while mathematics methods is a school strength, mandatory sport participation through Year 12 also contributes to student focus. Eight other schools, including John Monash Science School and Scotch College, also identified mathematical methods as their leading subject for top scores.