I know so many people who have gained access to Melbourne High but instead have turned it down and stayed at their respective private schools. This made me wonder is MacRob/ Melb High just for smart kids whose parents are poor?
Just because people don't want to pay for private schools doesn't make them poor. Almost all of my friends were very well off and could have easily afforded private schools if they thought it to be worth it. Most just realise that the price you pay isn't worth it considering you can get an almost equivalent, or even better result for free at MHS. I had other friends who figured they might as well save the money and spend it on tuition instead. But yeh, coming to the conclusion of poor is quite naive really.
I know so many people who have gained access to Melbourne High but instead have turned it down and stayed at their respective private schools. This made me wonder is MacRob/ Melb High just for smart kids whose parents are poor?
They may have turned it down and stayed at their respective private schools since they have massive scholarships. It is after all, possible to get a scholarship such that tuition fees at a high-end private school are lower than the tuition fees for MHS/MacRob.
Well being a State school, you don't really
have to pay anything. So I doubt that unless they somehow get a 100% scholarship

I don't think so because they're both located in the city so most of the kids that go there probably live in the inner suburbs.
Not really. Plenty of people travel quite far to get there. Even had someone take V/Line down here for a 2.5 hour trip each way in my year level. And while that doesn't really confirm anything, from what I know, most lived in mid-suburban areas. Think Springvale, Dandenong, Box Hill, Doncaster, Glenny etc.