Independent schools’ growth outstrips all others

Independent schools’ growth outstrips all others

By?Peter Buckingham?BSc GradDip MktMdl CFE FIMC CMC at?Spectrum Analysis

In early April 2022 the latest ACARA data release confirms Independent schools enrolment growth is well over double the national student growth.

From 2019 to 2021, total numbers of school children across Australia rose 2.35%, whilst the growth in students attending Independent schools grew 6.33%.

Government schools suffered the most with growth of only 1.25% over the period, and Catholic schools grew 2.87%.?

The recently released ACARA data showing enrolment numbers up to 2021 confirms the views that Independent schools are performing strongly, despite the pandemic.

Source – April 2022 ACARA data including school enrolments 2021.

Note – Combined is a school K – 12, so many more combined schools in the Independent groups than Government or Catholic

In the main two years of the pandemic (2020 to 2021), we saw Independent schools increase their enrolments by 3.68% compared to a National increase of 0.69%.

Catholic education still managed to increase by 1.40%, whilst Government education dropped by 0.23%.

The common story we hear is that families are choosing to remove their children from government primary schools and moving them into the Independent education system probably one or two years before they had otherwise intended.

I feel if you are open to growth at present, you should have many students to choose from, as many of the older established schools are basically holding their numbers, with minimal new places available for expansion and very full waiting lists.

People march with their feet, and the move to Independent schools has been mainly at the late Primary years, where people are moving their children across to Independent schools earlier than the traditional Year 7 entry, after Primary school. The common story is huge demand at the Y5 and Y6 levels.

I believe this is a credit to the level of teaching and dedication at Independent schools, and the ability to be very agile as many Australian states moved to lockdowns and home schooling in 2020 and 2021.

Summary

If you are the Principal or are on the Board of an Independent school, if you do not have a very strong future enrolment lists, you should be concerned.

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Peter Buckingham?is the Managing Director of?Spectrum Analysis, a Melbourne based consultancy in demographics, mapping and analysis with access to international data including Australia, New Zealand and many other countries.

Spectrum Analysis works with many schools both large and small from all sectors, but particularly Independent Schools, and have all the GIS tools to undertake this work.

Peter is both a CMC (Certified Management Consultant) and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC). Peter can be contacted by email at [email protected] or called on +61 3 9830 0077.