SNAPSHOT 2021
Download a pdf of the Snapshot here.
Snapshot 2021 is ISA’s latest annual release of key facts and statistics about the Independent school sector. Now in its 16th year of publication, the ISA Snapshot is a well-regarded and highly valued resource, with facts and figures compiled from rigorous analysis of a range of Government data sources.
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL SECTOR
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ARE A DIVERSE GROUP OF NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS SERVING A RANGE OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ARE NOT-FOR-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS FOUNDED BY GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY AND ARE REGISTERED WITH THE RELEVANT STATE OR TERRITORY EDUCATION AUTHORITY.
Characteristics of the Independent School Sector:
- A significant and growing share of Australian students
- Strong community links
- Diversity of type, size and focus
- Autonomous governance arrangements
- Comprehensive accountability of schools to parents, communities and governments
- Choice for parents through diverse schooling options
- Not-for-profit.
Size of the Independent sector 2020
 |  |  |
| 1,169 | 144 | 554 |
| INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS | BOARDING SCHOOLS | AVERAGE ENROLMENT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS |
*average enrolment in government schools is 393.
| NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS | ||
| PRIMARY | 217 | 19% |
| SECONDARY | 69 | 6% |
| COMBINED | 752 | 64% |
| SPECIAL SCHOOLS | 131 | 11% |
| TOTAL | 1,169 | 100% |
| INDEPENDENT SCHOOL TYPE | |
| BOYS' SCHOOLS | 5% |
| GIRLS' SCHOOLS | 6% |
| COEDUCATIONAL SCHOOLS | 89% |
| STUDENT NUMBERS |
| 12% WITH LESS THAN 49 |
| 26% WITH 50 - 199 |
| 42% WITH 200 - 999 |
| 18% WITH 1,000 - 1,999 |
| 2%, OR 26 SCHOOLS WITH 2,000 OR MORE |
Schools Profile
Independent schools do not rely on central bureaucracies or authorities and are accountable to their parent and school communities.
Some Independent schools with common philosophies operate within approved system authorities. These include the Anglican, Lutheran or Seventh Day Adventist Systems.
All Independent schools comply with relevant state and federal education legislation and regulation.
84% OF ALL INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
HAVE A RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION.
| AFFILIATIONS OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS | AFFILIATION | AFFILIATION | AFFILIATION |
| AFFILIATION | SCHOOLS | STUDENT FTE | STUDENT FTE % |
| ANGLICAN | 154 | 155,993 | 24.5% |
| NON-DENOMINATIONAL | 222 | 92,641 | 14.3% |
| CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS | 157 | 75,422 | 11.7% |
| UNITING CHURCH | 42 | 49,562 | 7.7% |
| CATHOLIC | 56 | 44,859 | 6.9% |
| LUTHERAN | 80 | 41,311 | 6.4% |
| ISLAMIC | 47 | 40,561 | 6.3% |
| BAPTIST | 42 | 23,736 | 3.7% |
| INTER-DENOMINATIONAL | 25 | 17,636 | 2.7% |
| SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST | 44 | 14,895 | 2.3% |
| PRESBYTERIAN | 13 | 11,652 | 1.8% |
| JEWISH | 20 | 9,422 | 1.5% |
| STEINER SCHOOL | 50 | 9,358 | 1.4% |
| PENTECOSTAL | 20 | 8,226 | 1.3% |
| ASSEMBLIES OF GOD | 11 | 7,029 | 1.1% |
| MONTESSORI SCHOOL | 39 | 4,871 | 0.8% |
| OTHER CATHOLIC | 8 | 3,722 | 0.6% |
| GREEK ORTHODOX | 8 | 3,657 | 0.6% |
| OTHER ORTHODOX | 5 | 2,246 | 0.3% |
| OTHER RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION* | 14 | 5,923 | 0.9% |
| OTHER** | 103 | 16,448 | 2.5% |
*Other religious affiliations include Churches of Christ, Ananda Marga, Hare Krishna and Society of Friends.
**Other includes special schools, international schools, indigenous schools and community schools.
Student Enrolments
THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR HAS GROWN
BY 2.5% IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
ENROLMENT BY SECTOR AND LEVEL, 2020
Percentage share %
ENROLMENT CHANGE BY SECTOR, 1970 – 2020*
Percentage share %
GROWTH IN ENROLMENTS*
Number of additional students enrolled
* Growth in enrolments 1985 – 2020. Independent Catholic schools are included with Catholic schools.
 |  | |
| 15,395 | 6,630 | 14,566 |
| INDIGENOUS STUDENTS | OVERSEAS STUDENTS | BOARDING STUDENTS |
| ENROLMENTS IN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS | |||
| MALE | FEMALE | TOTAL | |
| PRIMARY | 138,501 | 137,394 | 275,895 |
| SECONDARY | 186,834 | 184,642 | 371,476 |
| TOTAL | 325,335 | 322,036 | 647,371 |
| STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY IN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS | |
| SUPPORT PROVIDED WITHIN QUALITY DIFFERENTIATED TEACHING PRACTICE | 50,335 |
| SUPPLEMENTARY | 47,339 |
| SUBSTANTIAL | 14,981 |
| EXTENSIVE | 4,794 |
*More information on the levels of adjustment for students with disbility is available at www.nccd.edu.au
Sources of Income
$5.5 BILLION IN ESTIMATED RECURRENT
SAVINGS TO GOVERNMENTS
PUBLIC FUNDING
Public funding for schools is provided by the Australian Government and state and territory governments.
State and territory governments are the main public funding source for government schools. The Australian Government is the main public funding source for non-government schools, providing 76% of total government recurrent funding for Independent schools while states and territories provide 24%.
RECURRENT FUNDING FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION, 2018 – 2019
$ Billion
TOTAL GOVERNMENT RECURRENT FUNDING, 2018 – 2019
Per student all government sources
AVERAGE GOVERNMENT RECURRENT FUNDING PER STUDENT, 2018 – 2019
The proportions of private/government funding vary greatly from school to school.
THE SCHOOLING RESOURCE STANDARD (SRS) FUNDING MODEL
The current needs based funding model for schools comprises base funding plus loadings to address educational disadvantage. Base funding is adjusted according to the school community’s estimated capacity to contribute (CTC) to the costs of education assessed on parental income tax data.
This methodology is known as the Direct Measure of Income (DMI). Schools with a higher parental income receive less per capita base funding All loadings are fully publicly funded.
The loadings in the SRS model are for:
- School location
- School size
- Socio-economic disadvantage
- Indigeneity
- Low English language proficiency
- Students with disability
ON AVERAGE PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES
PROVIDE 89% OF CAPITAL FUNDING.
CAPITAL FUNDING
Capital Grants Program
In 2020, it is estimated that grants for capital works for the Independent sector will total approximately $67 million. Grants are distributed on a needs basis through Block Grant Authorities, with priority given to disadvantaged school communities with the least capacity to raise funds.
State and Territory Capital Funding
State and territory government assistance for capital funding is limited. Several state and territory governments also provide interest subsidy arrangements.
MAIN SOURCES OF CAPITAL FUNDING, 2019
School Teachers
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS EMPLOY MORE THAN
18.5% OF ALL TEACHERS IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS.
TEACHERS IN THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR BY GENDER AND LEVEL (FTE)
| PRIMARY | % | SECONDARY | % | |
| MALE | 4,229 | 21.2% | 14,547 | 41.5% |
| FEMALE | 15,679 | 78.8% | 20,470 | 58.5% |
| TOTAL | 19,908 | 100.0% | 35,017 | 100.0% |
STUDENT TEACHER RATIOS, 1973 – 2020
| GOVERNMENT | NON-GOVERNMENT | |||||
| CATHOLIC | INDEPENDENT | |||||
| PRIMARY | SECONDARY | PRIMARY | SECONDARY | PRIMARY | SECONDARY | |
| 1973 | 25.1 | 16.2 | 29.6 | 22.2 | 17.1 | 14.2 |
| 1980 | 20.2 | 12.2 | 23.9 | 16.6 | 17.3 | 13.3 |
| 1990 | 17.9 | 12.0 | 21.1 | 14.0 | 16.9 | 12.2 |
| 2000 | 17.1 | 12.6 | 19.1 | 13.4 | 15.7 | 11.4 |
| 2010 | 15.4 | 12.3 | 17.6 | 12.8 | 14.9 | 10.5 |
| 2020 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 15.5 | 12.2 | 13.9 | 10.5 |
Independent Catholic schools are included with Catholic schools.
Download a pdf of the Snapshot here.
To view previous Independent School Snapshots, click here.
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