SCHOOLS



In 2013 there were 9,393 schools in Australia, a net fall of 34 from the previous year. The number of primary schools fell by 34; secondary schools fell by 7, while the number of combined schools remained unchanged. The only recorded growth was in the number of special schools which increased by 7. These figures continue the trend of recent years, where total school numbers in Australia have fallen from 9,562 schools in 2008, driven mainly by school amalgamations.

Across the states and territories, the largest change in the last 12 months occurred in South Australia, where the number of schools fell by 28, from 750 in 2012 to 722 in 2013. All of this fall was in the government sector, primarily due to primary school mergers. In Victoria, the number of schools decreased by a total of 14 with government school numbers falling by 9 contributing the most to this decrease.

Nationally, the majority of primary schools (76.8%) were government, as were the majority of secondary schools (74.0%). However, for combined schools the situation was reversed, with 61.8% of such schools being non-government. The majority of special schools (76.3%) were in the government sector.

The recent national trend in declining school numbers has been matched by corresponding growth in the average number of students per school. Nationally, government schools had an average of 370 full-time students in 2013, compared with 479 for non-government schools. Five years earlier in 2008, the corresponding figures were 347 and 442. Primary schools had an average enrolment of 282 full-time students; secondary schools had an average of 758 full-time students, while combined schools had an average enrolment of 597.

Across the states and territories, the highest average school size, measured in full-time enrolments, was in the Australian Capital Territory, with 499 students per school. The smallest average school size was in the Northern Territory, with 220 students per school.

The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of government schools (80.2%), the Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of Catholic schools (23.1%), and Western Australia had the highest proportion of Independent schools (13.0%).