HUNTER boys are catching up to their female peers, by occupying more places on two of the NSW Education Standards Authority's merit lists than girls for the first time in at least four years.
NESA and the Universities Admissions Centre sent students their Higher School Certificate results and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) seven hours apart on Tuesday.
In previous years, there was at least 24 hours between the two.
Related: See the merit lists here
The results followed two Hunter girls shining at Monday's First in Course ceremony in Sydney.
Dungog High's Ellie Waight tied top place in the Retail Services Examination and St Philip's Christian College Waratah's Meg Arnold came equal first in the Hospitality Examination.
Related: Hunter students stand out in HSC First in Course ceremony
The region performed strongly on NESA's All-Round Achievers, Top Achievers and Distinguished Achievers lists, but didn't have as many entries as in previous years.
This year's All-Round Achievers list of students who received results in the highest band possible in at least 10 units of study included 30 students, 16 boys and 14 girls.
Of these, 15 attended Merewether High, nine went to independent schools, two attended state schools, two went to Catholic schools and two attended Hunter School of the Performing Arts (HSPA).
Related: Hunter's Hamish named the only student outside of Sydney to receive highest possible ATAR
By comparison, last year's list of 40 Hunter students comprised 26 girls and 14 boys.
Of these, 15 attended Merewether, 12 went to independent schools, seven attended Catholic schools, five were from state schools and one went to HSPA.
The 2017 list had 42 Hunter students, 28 girls and 14 boys. In 2016 there were 38 students from the wider Hunter, 25 girls and 13 boys.
Related: Newcastle Grammar School has seven students named "All Round Achievers" in the HSC 2019
This year's Top Achievers list of of students who earned a ranked place in a subject and a mark over 90 featured 19 Hunter students, 10 boys and nine girls.
Of these, seven attended independent schools, six went to state schools, four were from Merewether, one attended HSPA and one attended St Francis Xavier's College Hamilton.
Last year's list of 28 Hunter students included 19 girls and nine boys.
The 2017 list of 27 had 17 girls and 10 boys.
In 2016 there were 26 students from the wider Hunter, 18 girls and eight boys.
