Eden Marine High School's HSC students finished up formal classes on Friday ahead of a break to prepare for their examinations in late October.

Lana Watson, one of Eden Marine's school captains, said 2020 "has definitely been full of surprises".

"We all had a vision of what the year would look like, traditionally, and it certainly hasn't been that.

"It has been bit of a shock to the system, but I think we have learned to make the most of what's been a difficult situation.

"During the initial lockdown phase because of COVID, there was obviously a lot of disruption. I feel like a lot of special time was missed, especially for Year 12 and that time really mattered to us. We are mostly back on track, things may not be normal again, but this is the new normal," Lana said.

The high school is supporting their Year 12 students by offering an extra week of tutorials during the first week of Term 4, to make up for some of the class time disrupted earlier in the year.

The question of how to plan for 2021 is also perplexing, with uncertainty about applying for tertiary studies given face to face learning continues to be impacted.

"I've been going back and forth in my mind about what to do next year," Lana said. "I don't know if it would be worth it to pack up and move all that way, just to end up studying online.

"There is a sense of fear, at the moment things look better overall, but who is to say what will happen?

"As the school captain, normally I would have been able to do more for the school, like plan events, so there's a sense I haven't fulfilled my role as a school leader.

"But we've decided now to just have as much fun as we can. It hasn't been a picture perfect year but we have to be positive and make the most of it."

Students arrived at school on Wednesday in "dress like a teacher" outfits and were excited about the planned activities to celebrate the end of their formal studies.

"It's such a lovely positive way to end the year, we're all having a joke together and have fostered such positive relationships," teacher Melinda Sandefur said.