A group of 21 students at The Riverina Anglican College will be the first in Wagga - and in regional NSW - to complete an internationally recognised alternative to the HSC.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The International Baccalaureate (IB) course is a more rigorous form of matriculation, requiring students to undergo a minimum of six subjects across areas over two years.
Principal Paul Humble confirmed it had taken two years of negotiations and teacher re-training to become accredited.
"This totally revolutionises education in our region, and put Wagga on the world stage," he said.
"It will mean that our students can have a choice of attending universities anywhere in the world."
The school now boasts 14 teachers who have completed IB training courses in Sydney, Adelaide or Bangkok.
"It was a month of training, and the feedback we got was that we were very much positioned to teach the course," he said.
"In the next couple years, the plan is to have every teacher ready to teach it."
Exams are given higher weighting, and students are also required to conduct community service projects, learning another language and write a 4000 word essay on a topic of their choice.
The extended essay was a big part of Charlotte Collins' decision to enrol.
"It's about pushing myself and to become a better learner, because it has a focus on being a well-rounded student," said the 15-year-old.
"I want to go into pediatrics, so this will open doors for me at university."
For fellow student Liam Whiting, also 15, the decision to enrol came down to experiencing a different approach to education.
"There's a different type of teaching and learning, which I think will be better for me," he said.
Toying between pursuing engineering or a future as a jazz trumpeter, Mr Whiting said the baccalaureate would provide support across his broad interests.
"I'll be doing high levels of music and physics, which is really want I'm focused on," he said.