Fort Street High School

What Fort Street High School does

Fort Street High School is the oldest government high school in Australia, founded in 1849 and located in Petersham, New South Wales. It is operated by the NSW Department of Education as an academically selective, co-educational secondary school serving approximately 920 students across Years 7 to 12, with enrolments drawn from over 100 suburbs across the Sydney metropolitan area. Entry is governed by competitive academic selection administered by the Department's High Performing Students Team, positioning the school within a small set of NSW selective secondary institutions.

The school delivers a standard secondary curriculum augmented by differentiated programs: an Instrumental Music Program (IMP) enrolling 370+ students across 14 ensembles and producing 80+ performances annually; the Duke of Edinburgh Award program operating as the largest in NSW state schools; Special Religious Education (SRE) delivered through partnerships with faith-based providers; and dedicated Learning Support infrastructure. International sister school relationships are maintained with Suginami-Sogo High School in Tokyo (since approximately 1980) and Georg Büchner Gymnasium in Germany (since 1999). Communications and operations are supported by Sentral and School Bytes parent-portal applications, alongside the Mercurius newsletter and The Fortian alumni magazine.

The school's funding model is anchored to NSW Department of Education per-student grant allocations, supplemented by ancillary revenue: IMP fees of A$618 per enrolled student, application/entry fees, Parent & Citizens (P&C) fundraising (which exceeded A$200,000 in contributions in 2019), and facility hire income. Governance is exercised through a school council, with community engagement channelled via the P&C association, the Fortians Union alumni body, and the school Foundation. The principal is supported by a leadership team and the school sits within the NSW public education system rather than operating as a commercial entity.

Name

Fort Street High School

Legal name

Fort Street High School

Website

https://fortstreet-h.schools.nsw.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1849

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fort Street High School is the oldest government high school in Australia, founded in 1849 and operated by the NSW Department of Education as a selective co-educational secondary school serving approximately 920 Years 7-12 students drawn from across the Sydney metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Selective secondary education
• Public high school
• Academic curriculum
• Instrumental music program
• Gifted student education

Headquarters

HQ city

Petersham

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Instrumental Music Program Membership Fees: Annual IMP membership fee of $618 per student covering participation in the program regardless of ensemble count. Additional fees for individual music lessons paid directly to tutors.
2. Application Fees: Fees charged for processing applications for entry into Years 8-10 and Year 11. Payment required before application deadline.
3. P&C Fundraising and Activities: P&C manages uniform shop sales, events (Fort Fest, IMP concerts, Senior Drama nights), and Entertainment Membership sales (20% to school). In 2019, P&C contributed over $200,000 to the school for sporting facilities, classroom technology, and faculty assets.
4. Facility Hiring: School facilities available for hire to external parties for appropriate purposes, subject to assessment and不影响 teaching and learning programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fort Street High School is an academically selective coeducational public high school delivering the NSW curriculum from Years 7 to 12, with entry competitive and based on academic merit. The school offers a broad co-curricular portfolio including the Instrumental Music Program (over 370 students in 14 ensembles), the Duke of Edinburgh Award (largest in NSW state schools), Sport and Physical Recreation, Special Religious Education, and Special Education in Ethics, supported by modern facilities including a robotics laboratory and renovated library.

Product overview

Fort Street High School is an academically selective co-educational government high school offering a comprehensive NSW curriculum from Years 7 to 12, with a broad co-curricular portfolio. The core academic offering spans mandatory and elective subjects across Junior (Years 7–8), Middle (Years 9–10), and Senior (Years 11–12) schools. The main co-curricular programs are the Instrumental Music Program (IMP) — the largest co-curricular program with 14 ensembles and over 370 students — and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which is the largest such program in NSW state schools. The school also operates parent communication tools (Sentral and School Bytes parent portal apps), academic support services (Homework Centre, Study Centre, Study Skills Programs), a school library with eBook lending, and annual publications including the Mercurius fortnightly newsletter and The Fortian annual magazine. Sport and physical recreation are mandatory components across Years 7–11.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Instrumental Music Program (IMP): The largest co-curricular program at the school, involving over 370 students, with 14 ensembles including Orchestras, Wind Bands, Jazz Ensembles, Percussion Ensembles, and Choirs.

Products and services

• Instrumental Music Program (IMP) The largest co-curricular program at the school, involving over 370 students across 14 ensembles including Orchestras, Wind Bands, Jazz Ensembles, Percussion Ensembles, and Choirs. It includes a Training Band for beginners and contributes to over 80 performances per year. Annual membership fee of $618 per student covers participation regardless of ensemble count, with subsidized instrument hire available and over one third of all Fortians participating.
• Duke of Edinburgh Award A structured, internationally recognised program supporting students to achieve personal growth through voluntary service, physical recreation, and skills. Fort Street facilitates the largest Duke of Edinburgh program in all NSW state schools, with Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards offered to students aged 14 and older.
• Sport and Physical Recreation Program Mandatory weekly sport for Years 7–11 covering Grade Sport (competitive teams), Recreational Sport (tennis, yoga, rock climbing, etc.), and House Sport. Students also participate in Knockout Competitions against other schools.
• Special Religious Education (SRE) and Special Education in Ethics (SEE) Special Religious Education (SRE) classes delivered by authorised teachers from Petersham Anglican Church, Petersham Presbyterian Church, and the Hindu Council of Australia, using the Think Faith curriculum focusing on meditation, Vedic scriptures, and Christian teachings. Primary Ethics provides Special Education in Ethics (SEE) classes for Years 7 and 8 students, supporting development of well-reasoned ethical decisions through structured discussion and critical thinking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% of students from language backgrounds other than English
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Georg Büchner Gymnasium (Berlin, Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Sister school relationship began in 1999. Students from Years 10 and 11 participate in exchange programs, staying with host families, attending German school, and exploring cultural sites. Fort Street students visited in 2023 for September/October holiday period.
• Hindu Council of AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founded in 1998, the Hindu Council of Australia delivers Hindu SRE classes focusing on meditation, Vedic scriptures (Bhagavad-Gita), and cultural heritage for students to connect with their spiritual and cultural identity.
• Suginami-Sogo High School (Tokyo, Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1980Sister school relationship established from the mid-1980s. Japanese language students participate in cultural exchanges. Students visit Fort Street and host families billet visiting students.
• Petersham Anglican Church (All Saints)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrained and authorized teachers from Petersham Anglican Church deliver Christian SRE (Special Religious Education) classes using Think Faith curriculum from Christian Education Publications.
• Petersham Presbyterian Church (Joshua Tree)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrained and authorized teachers from Petersham Presbyterian Church deliver Christian SRE (Special Religious Education) classes using Think Faith curriculum.
• Primary EthicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Special Education in Ethics (SEE) classes for Years 7 and 8 students, supporting development of well-reasoned ethical decisions through structured discussion and critical thinking.
• Somerset Outdoor Learning CentreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBronze Duke of Edinburgh students complete their adventurous journey component at Somerset Outdoor Learning Centre with a four-day camp including two-day practice journey and two-day qualifying journey.
• Transport for NSWminorOthersProvides School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) with free or subsidized travel for eligible students on public transport between home and school.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Girraween High School: NSW DoE academically selective high school in western Sydney, comparable selective-admissions model and high HSC outcomes.
• North Sydney Boys High School: NSW DoE selective boys high school operating under identical academic-selection admissions framework. Direct peer for gifted Sydney students.
• Sydney Boys High School: Historic NSW DoE selective boys high school in Surry Hills, comparable to Fort Street in heritage, selective admissions, and co-curricular scale (sport, music, debating).
• North Sydney Girls High School: NSW DoE academically selective girls high school with same entry test and similar catchment of high-performing Sydney students.
• Baulkham Hills High School: NSW DoE selective coeducational high school in northwest Sydney, a recurring top-ATAR performer and direct peer in the same selective admissions pool.
• Hornsby Girls High School: NSW DoE selective girls high school with selective intake and extensive co-curricular offering comparable in scale to Fort Street's IMP and leadership programmes.
• Normanhurst Boys High School: NSW DoE selective boys high school on Sydney's upper North Shore, a comparable academically selective school with similar cohort size.
• James Ruse Agricultural High School: NSW Department of Education academically selective coeducational high school in Carlingford. Direct peer as it competes for the same selective cohort through the same state-wide test process.
• Sydney Girls High School: NSW DoE selective girls high school, sister school of Sydney Boys High School, operating under the same admissions regime and offering comparable co-curricular programmes.
• Sydney Technical High School: NSW DoE selective boys high school with a STEM and technology focus, operating under the same admissions and governance regime as Fort Street.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fortstreethighschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/fortstreet_hs/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/fshs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fort Street High School