LEXIE Johnstone will swap the dashboard of her family’s ute for a classroom next year.

The 18-year-old is home-schooled and has spent her life on the road, droving cattle with her parents and older sister Kirby, 19.

But next year she will follow in her sister’s footsteps and head to university after receiving top marks in her HSC.

Lexie never thought any different of sitting up in the family ute and completing school work.

“People say it’s different and unusual, but it’s commonplace to me and it’s all I have ever known,” she said.

Lexie admitted it was unfamiliar territory sitting her HSC exams at Billabong High School — the closest HSC exam centre.

But that didn’t stop her applying her knowledge to achieve an ATAR score of 89.5 to study psychology.

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Lexie was hoping to crack the 90 mark but admitted an extra-curricular experience last year may have had a slight effect on her marks.

Last year she was one of only 10 students to represent Australia at the London International Youth Science Forum.

“I am aware that going overseas may have lost me some marks in the exams, but it was a life experience and that is important,” she said.

“You can’t replace that.”

Lexie completed year 12 over two years through Dubbo’s School of Distance Education, while droving cattle between West Wyalong and Temora.

She has spent time in the lead up to her trial exams based at her grandmother’s Holbrook home.

“I was torn between studying psychology or forensic anthropology,” she said.

“I decided on psychology because there are lot of new avenues being practised and there’s a growing interest in mental health.”