This report shows the total number of HSC Distinguished Achiever awards won in each subject across all NSW schools in 2008.
| 1 | Aboriginal Studies | 21 |
| 2 | Accounting | 77 |
| 3 | Agriculture | 112 |
| 4 | Ancient History | 1267 |
| 5 | Arabic Continuers | 14 |
| 6 | Arabic Extension | 4 |
| 7 | Armenian Continuers | 16 |
| 8 | Biology | 1147 |
| 9 | Business Services Examination | 29 |
| 10 | Business Studies | 997 |
| 11 | Chemistry | 1304 |
| 12 | Chinese Background Speakers | 112 |
| 13 | Chinese Beginners | 6 |
| 14 | Chinese Continuers | 30 |
| 15 | Chinese Extension | 26 |
| 16 | Classical Greek Continuers | 10 |
| 17 | Classical Greek Extension | 11 |
| 18 | Classical Hebrew Continuers | 9 |
| 19 | Classical Hebrew Extension | 6 |
| 20 | Community and Family Studies | 483 |
| 21 | Comparative Literature - Distinction Course | 3 |
| 22 | Construction Examination | 12 |
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| 23 | Cosmology - Distinction Course | 6 |
| 24 | Dance | 54 |
| 25 | Design and Technology | 275 |
| 26 | Drama | 552 |
| 27 | Dutch Continuers | 5 |
| 28 | Earth and Environmental Science | 164 |
| 29 | Economics | 887 |
| 30 | Engineering Studies | 133 |
| 31 | English (Advanced) | 2973 |
| 32 | English (Standard) | 77 |
| 33 | English as a Second Language | 93 |
| 34 | English Extension 1 | 1468 |
| 35 | English Extension 2 | 673 |
| 36 | Entertainment Industry Examination | 41 |
| 37 | Food Technology | 248 |
| 38 | French Beginners | 117 |
| 39 | French Continuers | 262 |
| 40 | French Extension | 107 |
| 41 | General Mathematics | 1454 |
| 42 | Geography | 646 |
| 43 | German Beginners | 23 |
| 44 | German Continuers | 94 |
| 45 | German Extension | 51 |
| 46 | Hindi Continuers | 24 |
| 47 | History Extension | 423 |
| 48 | Hospitality Examination | 290 |
| 49 | Hungarian Continuers | 6 |
| 50 | Indonesian Background Speakers | 3 |
| 51 | Indonesian Beginners | 7 |
| 52 | Indonesian Continuers | 20 |
| 53 | Indonesian Extension | 7 |
| 54 | Industrial Technology | 337 |
| 55 | Information Processes and Technology | 332 |
| 56 | Information Technology Examination | 29 |
| 57 | Italian Beginners | 51 |
| 58 | Italian Continuers | 50 |
| 59 | Italian Extension | 13 |
| 60 | Japanese Background Speakers | 3 |
| 61 | Japanese Beginners | 120 |
| 62 | Japanese Continuers | 150 |
| 63 | Japanese Extension | 46 |
| 64 | Khmer Continuers | 2 |
| 65 | Korean Background Speakers | 26 |
| 66 | Korean Continuers | 3 |
| 67 | Latin Continuers | 144 |
| 68 | Latin Extension | 108 |
| 69 | Legal Studies | 849 |
| 70 | Macedonian Continuers | 13 |
| 71 | Malay Background Speakers | 1 |
| 72 | Maltese Continuers | 2 |
| 73 | Mathematics | 2903 |
| 74 | Mathematics Extension 1 | 2856 |
| 75 | Mathematics Extension 2 | 1146 |
| 76 | Metal and Engineering Examination | 7 |
| 77 | Modern Greek Beginners | 10 |
| 78 | Modern Greek Continuers | 19 |
| 79 | Modern Greek Extension | 13 |
| 80 | Modern Hebrew Continuers | 27 |
| 81 | Modern History | 931 |
| 82 | Music 1 | 724 |
| 83 | Music 2 | 227 |
| 84 | Music Extension | 229 |
| 85 | Persian Background Speakers | 12 |
| 86 | Personal Development, Health and Physical Education | 1063 |
| 87 | Philosophy - Distinction Course | 9 |
| 88 | Physics | 719 |
| 89 | Polish Continuers | 12 |
| 90 | Portuguese Continuers | 5 |
| 91 | Primary Industries Examination | 28 |
| 92 | Retail Operations Examination | 37 |
| 93 | Russian Background Speakers | 16 |
| 94 | Senior Science | 446 |
| 95 | Serbian Continuers | 3 |
| 96 | Society and Culture | 286 |
| 97 | Software Design and Development | 181 |
| 98 | Spanish Beginners | 28 |
| 99 | Spanish Continuers | 13 |
| 100 | Spanish Extension | 7 |
| 101 | Studies of Religion I | 1042 |
| 102 | Studies of Religion II | 407 |
| 103 | Swedish Continuers | 7 |
| 104 | Tamil Continuers | 3 |
| 105 | Textiles and Design | 282 |
| 106 | Tourism Examination | 9 |
| 107 | Turkish Continuers | 9 |
| 108 | Ukrainian Continuers | 1 |
| 109 | Vietnamese Continuers | 3 |
| 110 | Visual Arts | 1404 |