Rachel Byrne | Principal
Hunter Sports High School

Rachel Byrne is a courageous and visionary educator and the principal of Hunter Sports High School, a semi selective public school in Newcastle, Australia. Under her leadership, Hunter Sports High School has become a national model for future focused schooling, winning Australian School of the Year in 2024 and 2025 and transforming learning through an innovative academy model that prioritises real world pathways, high potential and gifted education, and personalised student success. With a background in designing inclusive learning environments and leading systemic innovation, Rachel draws on partnerships with the University of Melbourne’s New Metrics for Success, Big Picture Education, the New South Wales Sports High Schools Association and the National Rugby League to position Hunter Sports High School at the forefront of developing the human capabilities needed to succeed in an AI-dominated world. Her work ensures equity and access for students from low socio economic and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds while achieving outstanding Naplan growth, strong HSC results and exceptional wellbeing data, with students’ sense of belonging and high expectations for success consistently well above state averages. Rachel’s passion lies in nurturing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, resilience and lifelong learning, the human qualities that will enable students to flourish beyond school. She leads a culture of high expectations combined with personalised support so that every student can find meaningful pathways and thrive in the future of work and life. When she is not leading Hunter Sports High School, Rachel serves on the board of Girls on Fire, an organisation empowering young people, especially girls, to enter emergency services and community volunteering. At EDUtech 2026, Rachel Byrne will explore how schools can develop the human qualities that matter most in an AI-powered world. Drawing on her leadership of Hunter Sports High School’s innovative micro-school model, she will share practical strategies for creating personalised pathways, fostering student agency and wellbeing, embedding socio-emotional learning, and ensuring equity and high expectations across a whole school. This session will provide educators and leaders with actionable ideas to build dynamic, inclusive learning environments that nurture critical thinking, creativity and resilience — empowering every student to thrive beyond school.