We are so proud of these exceptional young people and all they have achieved.
It is with immense pleasure that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2025 on their exceptional achievements in the Higher School Certificate. While these results are a testament to their persistent effort and academic diligence, we are equally proud of the impressive personal growth and integrity each of our 81 Year 12 students has demonstrated during their journey at GRG.
Words cannot adequately express my pride in the achievements of these students, whose collective efforts have delivered, without doubt, the strongest HSC results in Georges River Grammar’s history. This remarkable outcome reflects not only individual excellence, but a sustained, whole-school commitment to high expectations, collaboration and care. As a result of this exceptional performance,
GRG has been ranked 85th in the Sydney Morning Herald’s annual HSC School Rankings –a truly phenomenal achievement for our community – and was also featured by the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the schools that surged in the 2025 HSC.
More than half of our Year 12 cohort were recognised on the Distinguished Achievers List, a testament to the academic depth and consistency of the group as a whole. In particular, two students were named HSC All-Rounders – Natarsha Nguyen and Thomas MooreToledo – an outstanding accomplishment that reflects excellence across every course studied. In addition, twenty-two students achieved ATARs above 90, once again highlighting the breadth of high-level academic achievement across the cohort and reinforcing the strength of our academic program.
We also extend special congratulations to Ziara AguilaYusef, Luca Guidone, and Isabella Vu, whose exceptional Design & Technology Major Works earned SHAPE nominations, and to our six Drama students whose outstanding group performance secured ONSTAGE nominations. These achievements are a wonderful testament to their creativity, dedication, and artistic excellence.
At GRG, we are committed to cultivating an environment that encourages students to flourish
both academically and as individuals. Our staff have high academic expectations of our students, and our students rise to the occasion. The Class of 2025 is a testament to this philosophy, graduating as confident, thoughtful, and capable young adults, poised to seize the opportunities and navigate the challenges that lie ahead.
This publication provides a snapshot of our students’ collective success, and we look forward with great anticipation to hearing about their future accomplishments as they embark on the next stage of their journeys.
A sincere thank you is owed to our dedicated teachers, whose expert guidance, care and encouragement were instrumental in helping our students achieve their potential. We are also deeply grateful to our parents for their unwavering support and partnership throughout this journey.
Congratulations once again to the Class of 2025. We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and eagerly await the great things you will achieve in the years to come.
Ben Haeusler PRINCIPAL
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF TEACHING & LEARNING (7-12)
Collaboration and commitment have powered the Class of 2025's success.
The release of the 2025 Higher School Certificate results marks a moment of tremendous pride for our school community This year’s cohort has achieved stellar results across all faculties that speak not only to individual academic excellence but to the collective spirit that defined this group from their earliest days of schooling The truly exceptional success of the Class of 2025 was built on something far more powerful than test scores: a culture of collaboration. They consistently championed one another, celebrating victories, offering support during challenges, and alongside staff, creating an environment where every student felt empowered to strive for their best.
Study groups, peer tutoring
circles, shared note banks, and open discussions became normalised habits Their ability to lean on one another, to push one another, and to celebrate one another made them stronger collectively than they ever could have been individually. Their unity became their advantage, collaboration their strength and character their legacy.
Alongside this was a relentless pursuit of improvement. The Class of 2025 sought feedback early and often, not just asking how to do well but how to do better. They leave behind an example for future cohorts: that outstanding academic achievement is not solely the result of individual effort, but the product of a community that values connection, dedication, and the belief that everyone can grow. With this in mind, it is no wonder this cohort has achieved some of the best results at GRG, reflecting the strengthening academic culture at our School.
The Class of 2025 soared to new heights as the examination means for all courses exceeded that of the state. 93% of courses saw student achievement in the top band, no doubt laying the foundation for over a quarter
of the group to achieve an ATAR above 90.
To the staff, your unwavering commitment to high expectations, your belief in what young people can achieve, and your willingness to invest deeply in their learning have created an academic culture that is both aspirational and nurturing. You have given students the confidence, the structure, and the challenge they need to truly thrive. The long term academic culture you continue to build, year after year, is what makes results like these possible. This culture of excellence, consistency, and exceptional application is not a slogan; it is lived daily through your planning, your feedback, your encouragement, and your relentless pursuit of improvement.
To the students: congratulations, we are immensely proud of you. You have set a new benchmark, not just for results, but for what it means to be a supportive, resilient, and ambitious senior cohort
Jason Borg DIRECTOR OF TEACHING & LEARNING (7-12)
RESULTS SNAPSHOT
Following the release of marks by NESA on 18 December 2025, the School is pleased to see a continued trajectory of exemplary performances by individual students and the cohort as a whole.
Each year, the Sydney Morning Herald publishes statistics that rank the School’s overall success rate compared to over 800 schools, along with the success rates of English and Mathematics courses. The success rate is calculated as a percentage that compares the number of top band results divided by the total number of examination attempts.
We are proud to say that the Class of 2025, and the teachers that have supported them along the way, have collectively contributed to the best results the School has seen. Congratulations to these students and teachers!
GRG’s NSW School Rank out of over 800 schools
(Source: SMH)
RESULTS SNAPSHOT
The following provides a holistic snapshot of the calibre of performance by the Class of 2025. This data represents the continued strong emphasis on rigour within the School’s academic program, along with the ongoing commitment to holistic education and support for GRG’s students.
GRG’s NSW Rank in English Advanced and Extension Courses
GRG’s NSW Rank in Maths Advanced and Extension Courses
GRG’s NSW Rank in Maths Standard Courses
STUDENT FEATURE
As Dux of GRG for 2025, it is pretty easy to say that Natarsha Nguyen has had an exceptional year. But for Natarsha, this has been a story defined by grit, perseverence, unwavering determination and consistency. “Of course I am proud of my ATAR result”, she said. “But above all else, I am proud of my consistency. Throughout Year 12 and in the academic years leading up it, I genuinely pushed myself to do my best in everything I did, or even small topic tests. I am truly proud that I am able to say that I have consistently put 100% effort to achieve results I will be happy with ”
Like all students, Natarsha was not immune to fatigue and plaguing doubts. There were many times throughout her HSC year where she felt she wouldn’t prevail. “The time between graduation and the HSC, in particular, was very tough. I had already been burnt out from studying hard for the Trial HSC and the time period between these exams and graduation felt way too short as a break. I was feeling discouraged and when I was studying, the content I was trying to master was not sticking. I couldn’t memorise my statistics and I felt I was effectively studying less and less each day.”
However, engaging in self-care and surrounding herself with family was the key remedy “I needed a full reset. I scheduled in ‘whole day breaks’ and took time to clean my study space, disconnected from screen time and spent time with my family. This was much needed to help me get out of the slump I was trapped in.”
For Natarsha, her family and her teachers were key motivators. “I wanted to make my parents and teachers proud. My parents have been my number one supporters and have sacrificed so much for me to go to the School so I really wanted to show them how grateful I was for their support - even though I know they would be smiling no matter what mark or ATAR I would achieve As for my teachers, I wanted to show them that I embraced their feedback to the fullest, and that I was grateful for all the time and effort that they sacrificed for me. Sometimes I even had hour long conversations where they talked to me about how I can improve, encouraging me, or even about the most irrelevant things that helped me keep my sanity during a time of the utmost stress. I wanted to make them proud ”
But Natarsha also engaged in some pretty savvy study techniques. “I would often write my own exam questions instead of summary notes When I transitioned to writing my own questions and producing exam-style answers for them, instead of just writing notes, I found that the information really started to stick Doing this resulted in a significant improvement in my exam results.”
There’s no doubt that Natarsha’s approach is an exemplar for all students The GRG community congratulates her on her successes this year and we look forward with great optimism to how she enters her life after school to make a difference in the world.
TOP OF THE STATE
On behalf of the entire GRG community, we congratulate these students for achieving an ATAR that places them at the top of the state.
These two young men have embodied what it means to be a GRG student through their relentless efforts. We congratulate them on the character they have shown throughout their HSC year.
NESA’S DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVERS
Each year, NESA releases the Distinguished Achievers List to honour the students who have achieved a top band result in their course(s) 2025 saw a record number of GRG students on this list, more than half the cohort. Congratulations to these students!
Student Top Band - Course(s)
May Abou-Haidar Visual Arts
Design and Technology
Ziara Aguila-Yusuf
Jackson Birrane
English Advanced Visual Arts
Engineering Studies
Mathematics Advanced Mathematics Extension 1
Styliani Boutzetis Mathematics Standard 2
Adam El-Hassan Mathematics Extension 1
Oliver Emmas Business Studies
Business Studies
Yasmine Faraj
English Advanced English Extension 1 Food Technology Legal Studies
Alexander Scott Business Studies Mathematics Standard 2
Ruby Strohmayer
Ancient History Drama English Advanced English Extension 1 Japanese Continuers Malikrehaan Tamboli Business Studies
Ruby Upston
Ancient History Mathematics Standard 2
Isabella Vu Design & Technology Geography
Harrison Welch Mathematics Standard 2
Gisele Williams Business Services
Charlie Wills
English Advanced Mathematics Standard 2
TOP OF THE STATE
The following students are acknowledged for receiving an ATAR greater than 90, placing them in the top 10% of the state
Ethan Hodge
Phoebe Fuary
Philippe Mouawad
Camryn Harland
Emily Nguyen
Ruby Strohmayer
Yasmine Faraj
Adam El-Hassan
COURSE PERFORMANCE
The graph below provides a snapshot of GRG’s courses to show the percentage of students who achieved a mark in the Top 2 Bands. These results are exceptional and have contributed to the School’s high state ranking Top 2 Bands in Each Course
Special congratulations must be given to the students and teachers of the following subjects for seeing all students’ HSC results in the Top 2 bands:
Ancient History
English Extension 1
Mathematics Extension 2
Music 1
Visual Arts
COURSE PERFORMANCE
School vs State Average
The following is a break down of the different between the School’s results in each course, compared to the state’s average for each course. A special congratulations is extended to all staff and students as GRG has outperformed the state in every course - an incredible statistic!
HSC MAJOR WORKS
The Class of 2025 produced some exemplary Major Works across Design & Technology, Drama and Visual Arts. Their achievements are testament to the hours of planning, constructing and rehearsing. The School was thrilled to receive a number of Showcase nominations from NESA. The quality of this year’s Major Works was exceptional and we are so proud of all students within these courses!
ONSTAGE
All Drama students within the Class of 2025 were successful in being nominated for inclusion in NESA’s prestigious OnStage Showcase. Congratulations to Veronika Giesekam, Nihaar Pillai, Ruby Strohmayer, Tayla Huynh, Kaylee Foss, and Anifa Deen-Khadri, on this achievement!
A number of our Design & Technology students also received recognition for their HSC Major Works from NESA by receiving nomination for HSC Shape - a prestigious showcase that recognises exemplary student work in innovation, creativity, and design. Congratulations to Ziara Aguila-Yusuf, Luca Guidone and Isabella Vu!
