There is national and international pressure for schools to increase student engagement and skills in more challenging mathematics, in particular for disadvantaged students. This study repurposes school level data to examine patterns of participation and achievement in advanced year 12 mathematics. It confirms that school socio-economic status (SES) is strongly tied to participation and achievement in these subjects, and that non-metropolitan schools tend to perform more poorly than metropolitan schools in these areas. However, it suggests that a non-metropolitan location mitigates against the apparent impact of SES, pointing the way for potentially fruitful lines of future inquiry.