After months spent hunched over desks, Bendigo students have ranked among the top rung of high school graduates across Victoria.
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VCE students received their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) on December 11, marking the end to 13 years of schooling.
Manon Maund was the Bendigo Senior Secondary College dux with an ATAR of 97.1, earning her a spot within the top three per cent of graduates in Victoria.
News of the high rank joined an offer from Victorian College of the Arts to study a Bachelor of Music in 2024, she said.
"I am just really excited ... that was a course that I really wanted but it felt harder to get into," Ms Maund said.
Fellow BSSC graduates Marta Conole and Innes Harrington also achieved ATARs of 97.0 and 96.80 respectively.
Ms Conole planned to take a break from study before entering university in 2025.
"I have got family in the UK I have never met before so I want to go over and meet them," she said.
'Recognition of 13 years of school': Girton dux
At Vine Street, Zoe MacGregor was named dux of Girton Grammar School with a score of 99.75, which she planned to convert to a medical degree entry at Monash University.
"It is a really nice culmination and nice recognition of 13 years of school," Ms MacGregor said.
"But everyone has done so well so it is really wonderful to see everyone's ATAR."
Girton graduates Miriam Henry, Viran Dhanapala, Li Hindson, Eliza Hauler, Aksharan Shobanan and Augustine Leung also achieved ATARs above 99, or within the top one per cent of students across the state.
Catherine McAuley College dux Tess Rule was not "expecting it at all" when she woke up to her 95.25 ATAR.
"I haven't really processed it ... I'm very happy though," Ms Rule said.
"A little bit of relief too ... but more excitement that I got a high ATAR."
Ms Rule planned to study a Bachelor of Law at La Trobe University in Bendigo.
CMC dux proximus was Maggie Keating with an ATAR of 94.90 followed by Alexandra Duke who achieved an ATAR of 94.80 as well as a study score of 50 in Physical Education.
Only 8.8 per cent of students across the state achieved study scores above 40 in individual subjects.
'Excitement ... but most of all relief'
Marist College Bendigo dux Joshua Sbrugnera was on schoolies in Hervey Bay when the news of his 94.95 ATAR came.
Mr Sbrugnera's high result meant he was able to change his university preference to aerospace engineering at RMIT.
Fellow Marist graduate Wade Harrison achieved the 94.2 required to enter a Bachelor of Biomedicine at La Trobe in Bendigo, while Rose Keane planned to take her 88.1 to Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga for a Bachelor of Veterinary Science.
"I am feeling a range of mixed feelings ... excitement, but most of all relief it's all over and all done," Mr Harrison said.
Meanwhile, a pair of school captains were crowned highest achievers at Victory Christian College in Strathdale.
Kyala Slingo achieved an 96.8 ATAR which she said she would take to Canada for study, while fellow captain Aston Wilson achieved an 84.1.
"It is crazy ... I can't believe it," Ms Slingo said.
Top results don't stop at Bendigo
North of Bendigo, East Loddon P-12 College dux Steph Demeo achieved a 94.7 via study scores of 48 in Health and Human Development, a 43 in Psychology and a 40 in Physical Education.
Ms Demeo's plans for next year had been "up in the air all year" but all signs pointed to university in 2024.
"I haven't exactly decided but at the moment I am looking at a double degree in exercise science and education at ACU," she said.
Kyneton High School VCE co-ordinator Rosemary White was proud of their year 12 cohort which had worked "hard as a group and lifted our results considerably".
Zoe Bespalov was dux at the Kyneton school with a score of 94.05, while dux proximus Charles Gaunt achieved a score of 92.95.
