The application ratios have been finalized for Hyogo Prefectural public high schools’ March entrance exams. This is the first year of the “effectively free private high school tuition” program. It’s the thing people were talking about, wondering if it might affect exams in Nishinomiya too.
Once again, we asked Nishitsu Friend and cram school expert Juku Sherpa’s Mr. Tani to give us a quick breakdown!
In a word, this year is all about “polarization.” The top schools are seeing solidly high ratios, while mid-level schools are around the point of falling short of capacity. It feels like the impact of free private school tuition has shown up just as expected
Ah, so the year when people started saying “private schools are basically free too” has finally arrived.
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Prefectural Nishinomiya Tops the Nishinomiya Area
Which school had the highest ratio?
Prefectural Nishinomiya High School, General Course credit-based system, came in at 1.89x. It really stands out in the Nishinomiya area
It was 2.35x on the first day, so it settled down a bit, but it’s still the top.
I think this year there was an especially strong trend of “if I’m going to take a chance, I might as well aim for a top school.” With private schools becoming easier to apply to as backup choices, there may have been more “aggressive applications” to public schools.
Ichinishi and Ichinishi Higashi Also Remain Solidly High
How did Nishinomiya Municipal High School and Nishinomiya Higashi do?
Both are steady at 1.37x. Local popularity, convenience for commuting, and university advancement results. Their brand strength isn’t wavering.
They were high on the first day too, so they really are consistently popular.
Meanwhile, Kurakuen and Nishinomiya Minami Drop to the 0.6x Range
This was a little surprising…
Nishinomiya Kurakuen is at 0.60x, and Nishinomiya Minami is at 0.64x. Those are quite low levels
Why did they suddenly drop so much?
Until now, there were students who chose schools within a safer range because they were focused on public schools. But this year, we’re seeing moves like “private schools are now a realistic option too” and “if I’m applying to a public school, I’ll go all in for a higher-ranked one.” As a result, the application ratios for mid-level schools appear to have gone down.
I see. So students who used to flow toward mid-level schools are now splitting more clearly in either direction.
Is Free Private School Tuition Really That Big a Deal?
It is. Until now, there was anxiety like, “If I don’t get in, private school tuition will be expensive…” But now private schools are realistic too. That makes public school applications more likely to shift from “safety” toward “challenge”.
That psychological change is showing up directly in the ratios. Interesting.
Hyogo Prefecture has a multiple-application system, but when private schools become a stronger fallback, there may be more applications that don’t rely on a second-choice public school. We saw a little of that tendency this year.
What Will Happen Next Year and Beyond?
How should families with students taking exams next year move forward?
This polarization is likely to continue. Competition at top schools may intensify further, while ratios at mid-level schools will become harder to predict. What matters is “not choosing a target school vaguely.” Strategy will become even more important, including the balance between internal school grades, entrance exam scores, and private schools applied to as backups.
It really is an information game. The people who move early have the advantage.
