“Nationwide, one in six students will get tutoring at some point during their schooling … that figure rises to one in four in cities like Sydney,” he said.

NSW has 47 full or partial selective high schools, far more than any other state. Victoria and Queensland each have four, and Western Australia has one.

At Edu-Kingdom College tutoring centre in Hornsby, students in the selective school test program attend three classes a week. Most take these classes for at least a year before the exam.

General manager Steve Kim said the “high level of stress and pressure” from preparation can become too much. About one in 15 will drop out and move to a general tutoring stream.

Why some parents are pushing back

The intense competition has led the Smiths to consider other options. Summer has received offers from two private girls’ schools: Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College and Abbotsleigh.

“Even if she passes the [selective schools] exam, we’ve got to ask ourselves, is that what we want for her?” Damon said. “She really enjoys her extracurricular activities, and potentially the private system might offer more opportunities.”

Summer’s mother, Dongjoo Park, spent the majority of her schooling in South Korea, moving to Australia to complete her master’s.

“The focus on academics there is huge, and at some point you have to drop everything and just study,” she said.

“I know I could have done better at certain special activities like dancing or singing if I had learned those … rather than just studying in school. I didn’t want to give that regret to my daughter.”

University of Technology Sydney social scientist Christina Ho says she’s seen a similar shift in mindset among second-generation Asian migrants, who were raised and educated in Australia.

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While newly arrived migrants see schooling as the key to future success and security, the second generation is less anxious about their children’s future.

“They understand the [education] system here, they speak English better and are not under the same kinds of stresses as their parents were. So I think they have a lot more options,” Ho said.

However, class background can dictate whether parents pursue alternatives, such as private school.

“In a disadvantaged area of western Sydney … the amount of work these students are doing to prepare for selective tests is even greater … than in more privileged areas,” Ho said.

“These families can’t afford private school, so everything is hinging on getting into a selective school.”

Like Summer’s family, Kelsey Grant is taking a more moderate approach with his 10-year-old daughter, who attends a selective school preparation class at Pre-Uni New College Gordon.

“I don’t want to create a negative environment around it for her, so we just do once a week,” he said.

Grant hopes his daughter will get into Hornsby Girls High School. If she doesn’t she’ll go to Brigidine College.

He believes selective schools offer more academic opportunities but they’re not the right environment for every child.

“I have four kids and they’re all very different. My daughter enjoys netball … I want her to keep doing that,” Grant said.

The NSW Department of Education maintains that coaching is not necessary to succeed in the selective schools test, and does not endorse it.

“Extra paid coaching outside of school will not give your child an advantage,” its website states.

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