An increasing number of parents in Western Australia are pulling their children out of the public education system when they complete primary school and making the move to private secondary school.
Education sector experts fear the shift could create greater inequity and add strain to already stretched public school resources.
While the number of students in the state who are enrolled in government high schools still exceeds the number in private schools, it’s clear there is a growing exodus to independent school education.
Data from the WA Department of Education shows the public school system lost just under 4000 students from year six in 2022 to year seven in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, Census data reveals families in Perth’s more affluent western suburbs are most likely to make the choice of a private school education for high school.
In Swanbourne, while almost 300 children attended a local government primary school, just 73 students attended a public high school in 2021.
By contrast, 103 attended an independent primary school in the area, with 379 attending an independent high school. The trend in neighbouring suburbs was similar.
Inequity in state school system must be addressed
At the University of Western Australia (UWA), the School of Social Sciences head and demographer Amanda Davies says, despite the best efforts of teachers, there is considerable inequity across the state’s schooling system when it comes to academic and training programs, facilities and overall schooling experience.
It is hoped the recent announcement to boost Commonwealth Government funding for WA schools may make a positive difference.
Read more: Christian schools welcome increased funding for government schools
“Families moving to particular schooling catchments to access higher ranked schools or school with better facilities or reputations is not a new trend, but with the recent population growth, it is likely to be a growing trend,” she says.
Ms Davies says parents also moved for reasons outside academic performance, including whether students are required to have access to a laptop or iPad, or if the school has established training pathways to TAFE. Accessibility and quality of school facilities, and public transport links also have an impact, she says.
WA Department of Education strategy and policy executive director Raechelle Lee says that, historically, there has always been a gain for non-government school enrolments as students transition from primary to secondary school.
“It is important to consider the overall cohort size each year which has been somewhat variable in recent years primarily due to the impact of COVID on migration,” she says.
“Reductions in net migration gain are considered to have a greater impact on public schools. Projections at the state, sector and individual school levels for first semester are considered in the Department’s short and longer-term planning.”
