Australia has recorded its most significant shift in school enrolments since 2008 — with 6,388 fewer Australian students in the public system in 2021 — meaning there will be less funding for state schools while private schools will see a windfall.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) annual schools report, the number of public primary and secondary students fell by 0.2 per cent in 2021, with low-fee independent Islamic and Anglican schools in the suburbs picking up the most new students.
The move from public schools was greatest in primary years, with 0.8 per cent of students leaving.
Overall, independent schools grew by 2.2 per cent across Australia, or 30,101 extra pupils.
The ABS said Australia's closed borders and the first net loss of migrants since 1946 was influential in the trend, with new arrivals generally guaranteeing growth at public schools.
Public schools receive $14,776 per student in a combination of state and commonwealth funding, so a drop of 6,388 students means $94,389,088 less for public schools. Meanwhile, funding to the private sector, which receives $11,724 on average per student, is expected to rise by $352,904,124.
It's money that will be gratefully received at schools like the Australian International Academy, a fast-growing Islamic school with three campuses in Sydney's outer western suburbs.
Principal Mona Abdel-Fattah started the school a decade ago with just 19 pupils. Today, there are 611, with more joining at the start of every year.
"It's almost a hundred a year, and at the moment, there are classes where we cannot accept any more students," Ms Abdel-Fattah said.
Ms Abdel-Fattah said the attraction for many of the young families in the area was the extra moral guidance and shared faith.
"A big attraction at our school is the Islamic environment. It's the identity, the care, the compassion," she said.
Islamic schools see huge growth as families prioritise values
Nashwa Mohammed moved her 13-year-old daughter Lujain and 10- and six-year-old siblings Layan and Alfarouk from the state system to the Islamic school at the start of the year.
Mrs Mohammed made the decision because her daughter was entering high school and she wanted to prioritise values.
"I wanted her to be around people who pray the same way, are brought up the same way and have the same priorities and same ideas," Mrs Mohammed said.
Mrs Mohammed had a great experience at the public school her children attended last year, but as a busy mum decided to move Layan and Alfarouk as well.
"I wasn't really sure but I thought as a parent I thought it would be easier to drop them off in the same spot and pick them up at the end of the day," Mrs Mohammed said.
Lujain Mohammed said the smaller class sizes allowed her teachers to give her more attention.
"They know more about students' health and wellbeing," she said.
Nationally, Islamic schools have enjoyed enormous growth, with the number of students tripling over the past 15 years.
Last year's Australia Talks survey found parents at independent and Catholic schools had the highest rates of parental satisfaction, leading to calls for an investment in the public system.
Pressure on public schools expected to grow after recent baby boom
Leading International education expert Pasi Sahlberg, from the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales, said it would not be the last tough year for public education.
"Governments need to take the responsibility to make sure that the neighbourhood public schools [are] always good enough … for all children," Professor Sahlberg said.
"When this doesn't happen, for example due to insufficient resourcing of these schools, I'm afraid we are going to see trends similar to education statistics published today also in the future."
Professor Sahlberg and other education experts expect pressure on the public system to grow after a recent baby boom.
"This means new schools and many more teachers that need to be available as these numbers grow," he said.
"It is important that the governments will invest in their public infrastructure and human resources to secure a good school and trained teacher for every child."
Independent schools across Australia have welcomed the figures.
In New South Wales, the growth means that for the first time independent schools have more students than the Catholic sector, which set up its first school in Australia in the 19th century.
"This record growth now makes the independent school sector the second largest in NSW and reflects the confidence and satisfaction of parents from across the socio-economic spectrum," Association of Independent Schools New South Wales chief executive Geoff Newcombe said.
