Parents driving a major shift toward Independent schooling

Independent schools are continuing to grow at pace across Australia as families make active
choices to invest in their child’s education.

Independent Schools Australia (ISA) has released its latest Snapshot of the sector which
shows that more than 767,000 students are now enrolled across 1,240 Independent
schools.

Enrolments in Independent schools grew by around 3% in 2025, making it yet again
the fastest growing sector in Australian schooling.

Independent Schools Australia CEO Graham Catt said the data confirms a fundamental and
ongoing change in how families are engaging with schooling.

“This is a behavioural shift,” Mr Catt said.

“Parents are making active, deliberate choices about what works for their child, and they are
voting with their feet.”

“There are hundreds of thousands of families who choose an Independent school for their
children and policy settings should recognise, respect and support that choice. Instead, it is
all too often presented as a problem that needs correction.

“Policy settings just aren’t keeping up with reality.”

Five realities shaping the education system

Mr Catt said the data highlights five realities that should shape national education policy and
discussion:

1. Parents are choosing – Families are actively and deliberately selecting schools based on
   what matters to them.
2. Growth is being driven by demand – Independent schools are the fastest growing sector
   in school education, reflecting sustained parent demand for the diverse options they offer.
3. Families are backing their choice financially – families contribute more than $11.2 billion
   each year towards their children’s education and to schooling as a whole.
4. The funding system is widely misunderstood – government funding in Australia supports
   all students and is needs-based, as established through the Gonski reforms. That funding
   is provided by taxpayers to support students across all school sectors, yet public debate
   often suggests otherwise.
5. Policy isn’t aligned with reality – current policy debates are not keeping up with the
   deliberate, conscious decisions Australians are making about school education.

Mr Catt said the Snapshot highlights a growing disconnect between the facts and the public
narrative around school funding.

“The figures don’t lie, but unfortunately the public debate often misleads.”

“Independent school students receive just over $12,000 less in government funding than
those in government schools annually, and their families contribute more than half the total
cost of their education.”

Independent schools educate students from a wide range of backgrounds, including in
regional and remote communities, and comprise of a diverse mix of school types, faiths and
educational approaches.

“There isn’t a single type of Independent school, and there isn’t a single type of family that
chooses an Independent school,” Mr Catt said.

“Our schools support a diverse range of students, including more than 187,000 students
with disability and over 22,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.”

Mr Catt said the Snapshot reflects a broader shift that will increasingly shape the education
landscape and policy.

“In the coming weeks, we will be talking more about what this shift means for the future of
the system and how we ensure parents are properly heard in that discussion,” Mr Catt said.