Was It Actually More Competitive? Analyzing Nishinomiya Public High School Entrance Exam Ratios in Hyogo 2025

The results for the Hyogo Prefectural public high school entrance exams（general admissions） were announced on Wednesday, March 19!

Last time, we shared a quick report on application ratios. This time, we asked Juku Sherpa’s Mr. Tani for tips on choosing a school, especially for students who will be taking the exam next year.

First of all, congratulations to everyone who passed! No matter the result, we’re cheering you on as you take your next step!

Now, the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education has released this year’s admission results! So let’s take a look at the “effective倍率” we estimated based on the published data and second-choice application trends, to see the real level of competition that you can’t tell from the application ratio alone!

What is the “effective倍率”?

The Hyogo public high school entrance exam uses a “multiple-application system”, right? You can list up to a second-choice school, but does that mean every school ends up with a higher number of applicants?

Exactly. The application ratio is calculated based only on the number of “first-choice” applicants. But in reality, there are also students hoping to enroll through their second choice, so depending on the school, the “actual competition rate（＝effective倍率）” can be even higher.

The Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education does not publish effective倍率 figures, so we calculated them using our own method, based on this year’s number of second-choice applicants, deviation values, and application trends.

Here are the “effective倍率” figures by high school↓

Even if the application ratio looks low, the effective倍率 can still be high! Nishinomiya Imazu High School looks just a little over 1.0 if you only look at the application ratio, but in real terms it rises to around 1.4 to 1.6.

That’s right. This year, it felt like “where students chose to place their second choice” had a big impact on the differences in competition between schools. Nishinomiya Minami High School was still around 1.0 even in effective terms, but Kenritsu Nishinomiya became a very tough battle, with an effective倍率 above 2.0.

What will next year’s entrance exams look like?

So next year, will we see a “swing-back effect”, where students look at these high倍率 schools and think, “Maybe I should avoid that one…”?

Yes, that’s probably what will happen. High schools that had high倍率 the previous year may suddenly settle down, while students gather at schools that were relatively “good targets” the year before. The impact of tuition-free private high schools will also continue, so it will be worth watching how students move between private and public schools.

How entrance exam trends change each year is something both students and parents are very interested in. If there’s more information worth sharing, we’ll continue bringing it to you with help from Juku Sherpa!

For those looking for a cram school: Juku Sherpa’s free consultations are now open!

Some people have finished their exams, while others are starting to wonder what to do about cram school from here on.

Exactly. Whether it’s junior high school entrance exams or high school entrance exams, or even questions like “How should we prepare for regular school tests?” or “What is correspondence high school like?”, please feel free to reach out! We know the cram school scene in Nishinomiya well, and we’ll suggest the right school for your child for free.

• “Which cram schools can we attend for around 10,000 yen a month?”
• “I want to find a cram school that can teach my child a study method that suits them!”
• “We’ve started thinking about junior high school entrance exams, but how should we proceed?”

Juku Sherpa not only knows Nishinomiya’s cram school situation well, but also offers advice on entrance exams and study methods, making it perfect for parents wondering, “We still haven’t chosen a cram school” or “Which cram school would suit my child?”

📅 Apply for a free consultation here↓
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Lastly

Junior high, high school, and university entrance exams may still be some way off, but倍率 changes every year. It would be great to keep gathering information for next year and beyond, and prepare without rushing!