Sydney's selective schools are drawing the majority of their students from suburbs popular with skilled migrants, who hope a good education will help their children break through the so-called bamboo ceiling.
There were also few students from the city's richest suburbs such as Bellevue Hill, Double Bay or Milsons Point, suggesting families in those areas are still opting for private schools.While selective schools have high rates of socio-educational advantage - which means students' parents are educated, a key factor in schooling success - the figures show that does not necessarily equate to wealth.
"It's very hard to immigrate to Australia. They've passed the point test, they are highly educated, they come from professional backgrounds. But they do face this bamboo ceiling. "You get very different benefits to the networks, prestige and opportunities that might come from a private school, yet you are still positioning them for the future," he said.