Penrith Selective High School (abbreviated to PSHS) is an academically selective, public, co-educational secondary school located in Penrith, a Western Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Established in 1950 and designated as an academically selective high school in 1989, it is operated by the New South Wales Department of Education. The school currently caters for approximately 935 students from Years 7 to 12, with an intake of 150 students in year 7 annually.
Penrith High School began as an intermediate school in the 1930s, occupying the land adjacent to the school's current location (the present day Penrith Public School). During that time, the land that Penrith High School currently occupies was the site of a mansion known by locals as 'The Towers'. During the 1940s, the mansion and the land it occupied was sold to the Department of Education, who subsequently demolished the dilapidated mansion and built the High School.
Two of the original sandstone pieces of the mansion have been preserved and remain in the school grounds as a feature in the Alumni Garden where they mark the entry to the gazebo. Additionally, the original plaque commemorating the opening of Penrith Intermediate School has been transferred into the present school grounds, where it currently resides in the school's archives. A replica of the plaque was created and is now affixed to one of the historic sandstone pieces in the Alumni Garden.
In commemoration of 'The Towers' mansion, the annual school magazine which has been published continuously since 1950 and the quarterly alumni magazine go by the same name.
Penrith Selective High School has a demonstrated history of academic success particularly in the Higher School Certificate. The classes of 2017 and 2018 equalled the school's best ever HSC results with the class of 2010. The school's 2022 NAPLAN results for years 7 and 9 were the highest ever results and marked 6 years of continued growth.
The school consistently maintains a high ranking in the HSC. In 2022 over 90 students received an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of over 90 and the median ATAR has been at least to 91.95 since 2018. All students matriculate to university.
The school marked 70 years as a standalone high school in 2020, but celebrations were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The twice postponed luncheon was held in September, 2022 and planning is currently underway to mark the diamond jubilee (75th anniversary) of the school in 2025.
