Thousands of graduating year 12 students across the south-west awoke to a text message at 7am, or logged onto websites to receive their final exam results and Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). 

While most made use of new technology, some have done it the old-fashioned way, waiting until they hit mailboxes from today. 

The Hamilton and Alexandra College was again placed in the top schools in the state, with three students achieving ATAR standards  above 95. 

Acting principal Neil Maclean said 10 of the College’s 56 VCE students scored above 90, placing them in the top 10 per cent nationally, with an overall average or mean ATAR score of 77. He said 41 per cent of students scored above 80, providing them with a huge range of post-secondary tertiary options.

Other principals and VCE co-ordinators from across the region congratulated their students on a year of hard work, saying they were thrilled with the results. 

Cobden Technical School VCE co-ordinator Denise Butler said the results showed that if student were prepared to put in the hard work, they  would be rewarded. 

She said the school’s dux Ashley Ovens had a busy two years combining his studies with state and national representative athletics. 

“He’s balanced that beautifully,” Ms Butler told The Standard. 

“The most important thing for us is all the students should be able to follow their chosen pathways.”

Portland’s Bayview College’s joint duces have already been accepted into the tertiary place of their choice. 

Deputy principal Leah Kelly said Joseph Noonan had accepted a position at the Victorian College of the Arts in costume design and Kate Fielden has accepted a place in product design at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. 

“All Bayview students completing their VCE passed, with 20 per cent of students ranking in the top 30 per cent of the state,” Mrs Kelly said. 

Portland Secondary College principal Toni Burgoyne said 70 per cent of students achieved an ATAR above 70 per cent and VCAL students had also achieved apprenticeships or traineeships next year. 

Statewide, almost 83,000 students received results via text message, online or in the post, with 49,950 students graduating with their VCE and more than 12,000 receiving their Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).