Independent school families are choosing, contributing and making sacrifices — and Independent Schools Australia (ISA) says it is time their voices were heard in the national education debate.
ISA has today launched a major new national campaign to put parents, school choice and affordability at the centre of education policy.
The campaign will run under ISA’s School Choice Counts platform and is backed by a major new report, The Great Education Shift, which brings together national data and parent research showing how families are reshaping Australian schooling through the choices they make.
The campaign will feature billboards, digital advertising and online video across Wentworth, Mackellar, Curtin, Goldstein, Brisbane, Griffith, Melbourne, Wills, Boothby and Bass, with activity also in Canberra and Adelaide.
ISA Chief Executive Officer Graham Catt said the campaign was about giving parents a stronger voice in a debate that too often talks about them rather than listening to them.
“Parents are choosing. Policy should reflect reality,” Mr Catt said.
“Independent school families have been stereotyped for too long. They are parents and taxpayers making careful decisions about their children’s education, often under real financial pressure.
“They deserve to be seen, they deserve to be heard, and they deserve policy settings that recognise the choices they are already making.
“Parents do not choose a sector. They choose a school — the school they believe is right for their child. When hundreds of thousands of families are making that choice, it is not marginal. It is mainstream.”
The Great Education Shift report shows Independent schools now educate 767,712 students across 1,240 schools, with enrolments growing by around 3.0 per cent in 2025.
Independent schools have now outpaced government and Catholic school enrolment growth for eight consecutive years, reflecting sustained parent demand for diverse school options.
The report also shows families and school communities contributed $11.2 billion in 2024, meeting 51.8 per cent of the total cost of Independent schooling nationally.
Mr Catt said the report confirms that parent choice is reshaping Australian education.
“This is not a slogan. This is a behavioural shift. It is a change you can see in the enrolment data,” Mr Catt said.
“Families are choosing schools based on what they believe their child needs — academic quality, safety, student wellbeing, values and culture, high expectations and fit.
“That choice is not abstract. Families plan for it, save for it and make sacrifices for it.
“Seventy-five per cent of families surveyed have adjusted their household budget to afford school fees, and 57 per cent have saved specifically for fees for at least three years.
“This is a cost-of-living issue as well as an education issue. Families are already carrying a major share of the cost of schooling and policy should not make that harder.”
The report also highlights strong support for straightforward funding principles, with 91 per cent of respondents saying government funding should support families’ ability to choose the school that best meets their child’s needs, and 86 per cent saying every student deserves some government funding towards their education. It also shows that average government funding per public school student is $26,140 versus $13,550 per Independent school student.
Mr Catt said the campaign was positive, mainstream and focused on families.
“Government, Catholic and Independent schools all contribute to Australian education,” Mr Catt said.
“This campaign is about recognising the families who choose Independent schools and the contribution they make.
“Parents are choosing, families are contributing, and policy should reflect reality.”
- KEY FACTS
- Campaign running across ten federal electorates, plus Canberra and Adelaide
- 767,712 students in Independent schools
- 1,240 Independent schools nationally
- Independent schools have outpaced government and Catholic enrolment growth for eight consecutive years
- Around 3.0 per cent Independent school enrolment growth in 2025
- $11.2 billion contributed by families and school communities in 2024
- 51.8 per cent of total Independent school costs met by families and communities
- 75 per cent of families surveyed adjusted their household budget to afford fees
- 57 per cent saved specifically for fees for at least three years
- 91 per cent say government funding should support family school choice
- 86 per cent say every student deserves some government funding towards their education
Visit – https://schoolchoicecounts.isa.edu.au/ for more.