This study sought to identify factors based in schools which affected the performance of sixth form science students in Australian schools. Use was made of information collected during a study of science achievement by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. A sample of 37 schools was used, the probability of selection of the school being proportional to its enrollment. Within each school, a random sampling of students in the sixth form was made to select the students to take part in the testing program. Information collected enabled a predicted score for each school to be made; this was compared with the actual score obtained by averaging the effects of each student in the group. Two groups of five schools were then selected for comparative study; one group which had performed better than expected and the other which had performed below expectations. The comparison of the two groups of schools to identify school factors was achieved by the study of responses of teachers, students, and principals on survey instruments. In order to identify school effects, allowance was made using multiple regression analysis for factors which were shown to contribute to academic performance but over which the school had no control. (Author/CP)