Trafalgar High School has been recognised as a high-performing school in the Education Department's recently released school performance report, one of only four schools across Victoria in its category to achieve the status.
Principal Brett Pedlow shared the results with staff, celebrating the exceptional achievements while also identifying key focus areas for 2026.
"This is an outstanding report and endorsement of Trafalgar High School and what we offer students in West Gippsland and Latrobe City communities," Mr Pedlow said. "The data reflects the feedback we hear from our community - that Trafalgar is a school people are proud to be part of."
The department's assessment compares schools with similar enrolments and School Family Occupation and Education (SFOE) index levels, which measure social context and educational background. Trafalgar High School, placed in the medium SFOE band, outperformed many of its peers across Gippsland and the state.
Data used in the evaluation includes NAPLAN, VCE performance, and student, staff, and parent survey results collected through the department's Attitudes to School Survey.
The school achieved a "high performing rating overall for academic achievement, with particularly strong results in learning performance.
Teacher judgements (years seven to 10) showed the majority of students achieved at or above expected growth, including 77 per cent in reading (a 15 per cent increase from 2024) and 76 per cent in numeracy (a four per cent rise).
VCE and VCE VM certificate completions reached 99 per cent, improving on the previous year's 98 per cent, and were rated "above similar schools."
The school's mean VCE English score of 28.3 (out of 50) was rated "well above similar schools."
"Trafalgar's VCE English results reflect six years of consistent, high-quality teaching," Mr Pedlow said. "It's the product of the learning journey our students take from year seven through to VCE, supported by dedicated teachers across every year level."
The report also recognised Trafalgar High School's strong focus on student wellbeing
School results were "above similar schools" for emotional awareness and regulation; and, "well above similar schools" for managing bullying and school connectedness.
"Students regularly share how proud they are to be part of Trafalgar High School. It's fantastic to see that sense of belonging and safety reflected in the data," Mr Pedlow said.