Wangaratta High School is again seeking to run two classes of its Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) program in 2026, amid strong demand.

The program has been part of the school's offering since 2005, providing gifted and high-ability students with the opportunity to have educational pathways tailored to their individual needs.

The high school is one of only 38 government schools approved to run the SEAL program, which enables students to move through sections of the year seven to nine curriculum at a faster pace in a separate class group.

They are also able to accelerate to VCE studies in year 10, and even university extension units in their senior years.

Current WHS year 12 student Swaye Frankland was part of the SEAL program between years seven and nine, which encouraged her to accelerate into year 11 subjects in year 10, and she believes it prepared her well for senior secondary schooling.

Swaye said the opportunity to be part of the SEAL program was one of the deciding factors in choosing to attend Wangaratta High School.

She said her SEAL cohort was a tightknit community which gave her a glimpse of what it would be like to be part of a year 12 cohort, and the opportunity to tackle year 11 subjects earlier than usual had made her more confident for her final year this year.

"It makes you feel like you know what you’re doing and sets you up so well," she said.

"My year seven was COVID year (2020), so it was tough, but having this group to work with really helped."

Her advancement at secondary school also gave Swaye the chance to spend time on exchange in Japan in the knowledge that she was ahead in her subjects.

While she's not sure what she'd like to do after high school - though she has an interest in studying in the US - Swaye said her broad course selection, including the seven year 12 subjects she will have completed by the end of this year, would hold her in good stead for anything she chose to pursue.

At the other end of the scale, year seven students Jolie Mitchell, Ashton Ryan, Lexi Sessions, Michelle Keenan and Remy Staley are in their first year of involvement with the SEAL program.

Whether it's Remy's passion for English, or Michelle's interest in maths and science, the program has catered for their desire to be challenged in their studies.

Lexi said she welcomed the challenges presented by SEAL, and wanted to be part of the program so she could step out of her comfort zone.

Ashton hopes to be an AFLW player, but would also love to be a paramedic, and said involvement in SEAL would help her pursue university study.

Jolie agreed: "I wanted to be in SEAL to set myself up for a better uni and support my plans to be a digital marketer.

"I enjoy it because there are more challenges, and I don't get bored."

Meryl Herman, Wangaratta High School's SEAL coordinator and leading teacher student excellence, said students were encouraged to test for the program in grade six, with 40 to 60 applying annually.

Testing is completed in five parts - a written component, as well as others based around numerical and verbal reasoning, and two achievement tests centred on reading comprehension and maths.

Students who meet the program's requirements are admitted for the year seven to nine period, and four years of learning in maths, English, science and humanities is condensed into three years, so that by year nine, students are working on year 10 curriculum.

"We have high expectations within the classroom and around homework, and next year we are introducing a full three-year VCE, so that students are starting the majority of their VCE subjects in year 10," Ms Herman said.

"Then, when students get to year 12, there is opportunity for university subjects through the Centre for Higher Education Studies.

"Every student has an individual pathways discussion, and we support what their intentions are - it's not always about university, but these are students who are going out into the world to solve the big, diabolical problems, and the program allows them to do that.

"Solving the problems of the world is a great thing to do with your intellect."

This year the school has two classes of year seven SEAL students, as well as one in year eight and two in year nine, with the potential for two to be run for 2026 year sevens.