Abbotsleigh is an independent Anglican early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Wahroonga, on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1885, on Sydney's lower north shore, the school has a selective enrolment policy from Year 5 upwards. It currently caters for approximately 1,400 students from Transition to Year 12, including 170 boarders from Years 7 to 12. Abbotsleigh is a member of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and a founding member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS). Abbotsleigh was ranked the top independent school in the state, based on academic performance in 2013–2015. History Abbotsleigh was founded by Marian Clarke in 1885 in a small terrace house in North Sydney. The school then moved to Parramatta; first to Honiton House, then to more spacious premises at the corner of Church and Marsden streets, a site now covered by a car park. The school proved successful in Parramatta, but in 1895 Miss Clarke left 80 pupils behind to set out for a year in England to visit her family. The school declined during her absence, and on her return only a small number of boarders remained. Abbotsleigh's final move was to its current location at Wahroonga in 1898, where Miss Clarke purchased land and built a new school. It is here that Abbotsleigh became the first girls' school in Sydney to have a sports field. Significant buildings that developed over the years include the Marian Clarke building facing the Pacific Highway, Vindin House, Lynton House and Poole House on the junior campus. The last three are listed on the local government heritage register. Miss Clarke was determined to found Abbotsleigh as an academic school for girls with a full curriculum and strict order of discipline. In other words, a proper school, not a finishing school for ladies (as was typical of the era). The school offered physics and classical subjects, such as Latin; classes that were only offered to boys at the time. Headmistresses The following individuals have served as the Headmistress: Structure Abbotsleigh has a total enrolment of approximately 1,400 girls across Years K–12. In 2016, the Senior School campus had an enrolment of approximately 900 girls in