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Mount Annan Christian College in Sydney's south-west is a construction zone as well as a busy school.
Key points:
- The latest national schools data shows parents are increasingly opting for faith-based independent schools
- In 2022 enrolments at independent schools grew by 3.3 per cent and at Catholic schools by 1 per cent
- Public sector enrolments fell for the second year in a row and much faster than in 2021
Twelve new classrooms are being built and the co-educational school has a waiting list that has expanded to include students still in the womb.
"We've had someone who just put their child's name down, yet their child's not born yet," principal Gabi Korocz said.
"So the mother is expecting — and that's just indicative of the demand we have here."
The latest national Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) schools data shows this appetite is replicated across the outer suburbs of Australia's biggest cities.
Parents are increasingly opting for faith-based independent schools; in 2022, enrolments at independent schools grew by 3.3 per cent and at Catholic schools by 1 per cent.
Conversely, enrolments in the public sector fell for the second year in a row and much faster than in 2021 despite interest rate rises and increasing cost-of-living pressure.
Enrolments fell by 0.6 per cent in 2022, a steeper decline than in 2021 when they fell by 0.2 per cent, the ABS statistics released today show.
There are now more than 1.4 million Australian students or 35.6 per cent at private schools and about 2.6 million pupils at government schools.
Parents pleased with decision to go private
Mother Emily Johnson chose to send her two kids to Mount Annan Christian College despite the financial sacrifice.
"We did consider that we would have to spend more money sending them to an independent school compared to a public school," Ms Johnson said.
"But we decided that it was worth it and we're pleased in our decision also."
Mr Korocz said the school — which services prep to year 12 — had tripled its students in the past five years to 960 this year.
Parents often cite values as a reason for making the switch, but Mr Korocz said he had a diverse student body.
"I've got families from a Muslim background, I've got [students] from a very diverse faith background, I got families from a Sikh background," he said.
"Our Christian faith is one of inclusiveness in the way we try to approach it, not exclusiveness."
The national independent schools lobby welcomed the figures.
"Independent schools firmly believe that every parent has the right to choose the school that best fits their child and their family," Independent Schools Association chief executive Carolyn Krantskalns said.
"The independent sector has been Australia's fastest-growing school sector for more than a decade, with the latest figure of 3.3 per cent continuing that trend.
"The past two years have shown the highest enrolment growth since 2009."
Independent sector calls for more funding
In New South Wales, analysis by independent schools showed the sector had enrolled more than half of new students since 2014 and they called for additional funding to allow greater expansion in the suburbs.
"Historically, parents have funded 90 per cent of expansions and upgrades across the independent school sector, but this is not sustainable," Association of Independent Schools NSW chief executive Margery Evans said.
"The pace of enrolment growth and higher building costs means additional government support is needed if this growth to be accommodated."
The Australian Education Union was not available for comment but any increase in private school funding would be fiercely opposed by public education advocates.
They often cite the comparative under-resourcing of public schools in the Gonski reforms as a reason for parents leaving the public sector.
NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the drop in public school enrolments was a direct result of "10 years of government neglect".
"Public schools remain at 90 per cent of their minimum level of funding," he said.
"Unless this is reversed … we'll continue to see a deepening of inequality and segregation of education, the consequences of which will be far-reaching for individual students and society as a whole."
Australia has more than twice the number of students in the private system as the global average, and today's figures show that is only increasing.