James Ruse Agricultural High School

What James Ruse Agricultural High School does

James Ruse Agricultural High School is a publicly-funded academically selective co-educational secondary school located in Carlingford, NSW, Australia, established in 1959 on land originally part of the 1885 Felton Estate. It is one of four agricultural high schools in NSW and one of only two selective agricultural high schools in the state. The school serves approximately 860 academically gifted students from Years 7-12, drawn from across Sydney, through a three-stage selective admissions process: the NSW DoE Selective Schools Test administered by the High Performing Students Unit (Year 7 entry), or the Edutest external examination (Years 8-11 entry), followed by application review and an interview with the Principal. Enrolment is administratively capped, with approximately 120 students in each of Year 7 and Year 8.

The school delivers the NSW Curriculum aligned with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) standards and is distinguished by a 10-hectare working farm that anchors a compulsory accelerated agricultural program, with HSC Agriculture completable by Year 11. The farm includes Angus cattle, sheep, hens, orchards of Washington Navel oranges and Sherman Red peaches, beekeeping, vegetable production, hydroponics, a glasshouse, and a nursery. The school also offers over 60 co-curricular activities (sports, performing arts, debating, science olympiads, leadership), a year-group-specific Wellbeing Roadmap, a daily 10-minute Connect @ Ruse social-emotional learning program, and a 280-cadet Australian Army Cadets unit. Pedagogical specialization in gifted education includes Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking professional learning communities for more than half of teachers (guided by Ron Ritchhart of Harvard Graduate School of Education) and UNSW's Mini Certificate for Gifted Education. Outcomes include consistent top-tier NSW HSC rankings (2nd in NSW in 2025 per the Sydney Morning Herald, with a 70.4% Band 6 rate, 9 students achieving the maximum 99.95 ATAR, 3 First in Course awards, and 21 HSC Showcase Nominations) and a 100% tertiary education placement rate for graduates.

As a NSW Department of Education public school, James Ruse is primarily funded by government appropriations, supplemented by voluntary school contributions, P&C fundraising (Multicultural Food Day, Annual Raffle), and tax-deductible donations via the James Ruse Agricultural High School Foundation (established 2021). The school charges no tuition; transactional revenue is limited to a $180 Edutest examination fee for Years 8-11 applicants and a $5 annual P&C membership fee. The school operates a non-commercial distribution model with no APIs, no external product lines, no commercial distribution channels, and no AI/ML capabilities. Governance is led by Principal Matt Dopierala, who commenced in November 2024 as the school's ninth Principal.

Name

James Ruse Agricultural High School

Legal name

James Ruse Agricultural High School

Website

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

Company type

Public

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

James Ruse Agricultural High School is a NSW Department of Education public selective secondary school in Carlingford, NSW, serving approximately 860 academically gifted students from Years 7-12 through a NESA-aligned curriculum and a unique 10-hectare working farm agricultural program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlingford

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. NSW Department of Education Government Funding: As a public school under the NSW Department of Education, James Ruse Agricultural High School is primarily funded by government appropriations. Voluntary school contributions are sought from families but are not mandatory for curriculum access.
2. P&C Fundraising and Donations: The Parents & Citizens Association raises funds through the Annual Contribution, Multicultural Food Day, and Annual Raffle, with proceeds used to improve school facilities, purchase equipment, and support identified projects. The school also accepts tax-deductible donations via DGR-accredited Building Fund and Library Fund.
3. Edutest Examination Fee: A $180 fee is charged for the Edutest entrance examination for Years 8-11 applicants. This is a one-time fee per examination sitting, collected by the external testing provider.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

James Ruse Agricultural High School delivers academically selective secondary education (Years 7-12) for approximately 860 gifted students from across Sydney, aligned with the NSW NESA curriculum. It uniquely combines selective academic excellence with a compulsory accelerated agricultural curriculum delivered through a 10-hectare working farm, supported by over 60 co-curricular activities, a structured Wellbeing Roadmap, and gifted-education pedagogy including Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking.

Product overview

James Ruse Agricultural High School is an academically selective co-educational public secondary school in New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1959, it is one of four agricultural high schools in NSW. The school provides a comprehensive educational program for approximately 860 gifted students from Years 7-12. The institution operates as a single unified school with no distinct commercial product lines; its 'offerings' consist of educational programs including compulsory Agriculture (Years 7-10 with acceleration option), academic curriculum aligned with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) requirements, over 60 co-curricular activities, leadership programs, wellbeing support, and selective student admission processes. The school does not offer commercial products or services for external parties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• James Ruse Agricultural High School Foundation: Established in 2021, provides a formal opportunity for alumni to give back to the school, focusing on fostering alumni networks, providing financial support to students, and investing in school infrastructure and resources.
• James Ruse Union

Products and services

• Selective Secondary Education Program (Years 7-12) Selective, academically rigorous secondary education program for high-potential and gifted students from Years 7-12, aligned with the NSW NESA curriculum and delivered through specialized gifted-education pedagogy.
• Agricultural Education with Working Farm Compulsory accelerated Agriculture curriculum from Years 7-10 (Preliminary in Year 10, HSC in Year 11), taught through a 10-hectare working farm including Angus cattle, sheep, hens, orchards, hydroponics, glasshouse, and beekeeping operations.
• Co-curricular Activities Program Over 60 co-curricular activities spanning sports, performing arts, debating, science olympiads, social justice, environmental clubs, Army Cadets, and Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, supporting student leadership and skill development.
• Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Program Structured year-group-specific wellbeing program aligned with the NSW DoE Wellbeing Framework for Schools, including the daily Connect @ Ruse (10-minute social-emotional learning program), Wellbeing Roadmap themes from Years 7-12, and learning support teams that co-design plans with families.
• Selective School Enrolment Assessment (Edutest Examination) External Edutest entrance examination for Years 8-11 applicants ($180 fee per sitting), used as part of the school's selective three-stage admission process; Year 7 entry is administered through the NSW DoE High Performing Students Unit.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70.4% of 2025 HSC examinations achieved Band 6 (90+ marks)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Parramatta Amateur Beekeepers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The Parramatta Amateur Beekeepers Association houses its beehives on the school grounds, providing students with direct exposure to beekeeping and pollination as part of the agricultural curriculum. This partnership supports hands-on agricultural education and environmental awareness.
• Angus AustraliacoreOthers · 1 January 1999James Ruse Agricultural High School has been a registered member of Angus Australia for over 25 years, supporting the school's cattle breeding enterprise on its working farm. The membership provides access to breed resources, networking, and recognition for the school's purebred Angus cattle program.
• The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1979JRAHS has been an official Award Centre for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award since 1979. Students aged 14-24 can complete Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards across Physical Recreation, Skills, Voluntary Service, and Adventurous Journey sections. The school's Year 9 camp is designed to fulfil the Bronze Award Adventurous Journey requirements.
• Australian Army Cadets (AAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1960The 280-strong James Ruse Agricultural High School Army Cadet Unit (JRAHSACU) has been an integral part of the school since 1960. Cadets develop leadership skills through first aid, navigation, fieldcraft, and radio telecommunications training, with activities supervised by Adult Cadet Staff under Australian Defence Force jurisdiction.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/760405011257920
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/jrahs
• Instagraminstagram.com/jamesruseagriculturalhs

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 James Ruse Agricultural High School