In 2024:
- 4,132,006 students were enrolled in schools across Australia, an increase of 45,008 students (1.1%) compared with 2023.
- the majority of students were enrolled in government schools (63.4%), followed by Catholic schools (19.9%) and independent schools (16.8%).
Over the five years to 2024, total student enrolments increased by 4.6%. Independent schools recorded the largest increase (18.5%), followed by Catholic schools (6.6%) and government schools (1.0%).
Student enrolments by school affiliation, 2019 to 2024
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2019-24 (% change) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Government | 2,619,513 | 2,614,094 | 2,605,826 | 2,622,755 | 2,629,143 | 2,594,830 | 1.0 |
Catholic | 820,222 | 806,323 | 795,368 | 787,181 | 778,605 | 769,719 | 6.6 |
Independent | 692,271 | 666,581 | 641,318 | 620,781 | 599,226 | 584,262 | 18.5 |
Total | 4,132,006 | 4,086,998 | 4,042,512 | 4,030,717 | 4,006,974 | 3,948,811 | 4.6 |
Source: Schools, 2024, Table 42b
The highest annual growth rates of student enrolments in 2024 were in:
- South Australia and Western Australia: 2.2%
- Victoria: 1.6%
- Queensland: 0.7%
Tasmania was the only state or territory where the overall growth rate fell (-0.5%).
Annual growth rates in student enrolments by state and territory and affiliation, 2023 to 2024
Source: Schools, 2024, Table 42b
In 2024, the annual growth rate for school enrolments was 1.1% (45,008 more students). Since 2023:
- government school enrolments recorded an increase of 0.2% (5,419 more students).
- non-government school enrolments recorded an increase of 2.7% (39,589 more students).
There were 9,859 more primary school student enrolments in 2024, an increase of 0.4% since 2023. Since 2023:
- government primary school enrolments decreased by 0.3% with 4,312 fewer students.
- non-government primary school enrolments increased 2.0%, with 14,171 more students.
Secondary school student enrolments increased by 35,149 students compared to 2023 (a change of 1.9%). Since 2023:
- government secondary school enrolments increased 0.9% with 9,731 more students.
- non-government secondary school enrolments grew by 3.3% with 25,418 more students.
Annual growth rates in student enrolments by school level and affiliation, 2023 to 2024
Source: Schools, 2024, Table 42b
In 2024, the percentage of students enrolled in non-government schools was lowest in very remote areas (11.6%) compared to remote areas (23.9%), outer regional areas (30.3%), inner regional areas (37.0%) and major cities (37.6%).
In 2024, the number of Full-Fee Paying Overseas Students (FFPOS) increased by 4,944 to 26,068, a rise of 23.4% from 2023. The highest percentage year-on-year growth between 2023 to 2024 was seen in:
- Tasmania: 39.9% (an increase of 93 students)
- Australian Capital Territory: 28.0% (an increase of 198 students)
- Victoria: 27.5% (an increase of 2,024 students)
FFPOS numbers are collected in the National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC) but not published in the Schools data cubes.
Full-fee paying overseas student enrolments by state and territory, 2019 to 2024
Data unavailable for Northern Territory government schools in 2019 and 2020.