Since the 1970s, Australian governments have supported choice in schooling, providing public funding to non-government schools as a way of ensuring that all schools have at least a minimum level of facilities and resources.

In 2021, Australian non-government schools enrolled 41 per cent of all junior secondary school students and 42 per cent of all senior secondary school students, compared with the OECD average of 15 per cent for lower secondary and 20 per cent for upper secondary.

Diversity enables choice

Independent schools reflect Australia’s religious, social and ethnic diversity. This diversity offers options for families of all religions, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to choose schools that promote the values, educational philosophies and/or approaches to learning that best suit the needs of their children and their own beliefs.

The fact that enrolment numbers are growing faster in the Independent school sector than the Catholic or government school sectors show that many Australian families value and act on the choice the Independent school sector provides.

Parents’ right to choose the kind of education that will be given to their child, is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Independent schools strive to consistently meet high parental expectations. The freedom of students and their families to exercise choice in schooling is one of the most demanding forms of accountability for Independent schools.

How parents choose

Parents are influenced by a variety of factors when choosing an Independent school. Independent Schools Australia’s 2026 Parents Polling showed that the four most important factors influencing parents’ choice of Independent schools are;

• strong academic reputation
• safe and supportive environment
• discipline and high expectations
• values align with families

The outcome parents want from schooling, above all, is for children to have a well-rounded education with a strong emphasis on learning life skills.

Affordability

Independent schools attract students from all income groups. Notably, almost half of Independent schools charge annual fees of less than $6,060 and around one in nine schools charge fees of $20,000 or higher.

The Independent school sector is experiencing student enrolment growth in schools across all income levels, with schools charging fees of less than $7,500 – regardless of school religion or philosophy – seeing the highest growth.