Girls lead exodus as NSW parents choose private and Catholic schools
While some Sydney parents have typically chosen to send their child to the local public primary school before switching to a private high school, enrolment share for public primary school fell from 69.7 per cent in 2015 to 67.2 per cent in 2024.
Joanna McNamara with her son Billy, who is in year 7 at St Paul’s Catholic College at Manly.Credit: James Brickwood
Public high school enrolment share declined from 59.6 per cent in 2015 to 55.9 per cent last year.
NSW Education Minister Prue Car blamed the previous government for the drop in public school enrolments in NSW.
“The decline in enrolment share is a legacy of the former Liberal-National government and its failure to build schools in high-growth areas, while their wages cap drove teachers out of our schools, impacting student outcomes,” she said. “We are working at speed to deliver our record pipeline of new and upgraded schools, which will be game-changers for these suburbs.”
Joanna McNamara sent her son Billy, 12, to a public primary school and eventually chose St Paul’s Catholic College at Manly after visiting their open day, where Billy took an immediate shine to the maths teacher and the languages on offer. The school charges $7682 for year 7.
“It is a big decision choosing a high school. And every child is different, and I wanted to find the right school for my son,” McNamara said. “We just loved the feeling of the school, the ethics and the morals, and just the great vibe when we came in.”
Rebecca King and her daughter Madison, principal Gabie Stojanovski and Joanna McNamara with her son Billy, 12.Credit: James Brickwood
College principal Gabie Stojanovski said they had seen exponential enrolment growth with a waiting list of 100 students for 2027 after it decided to transition from all-boys to co-ed this year.
“Parents are really seeking the values-based ethos of Catholic schools,” she said.
That was the case for Rebecca King, who also chose St Paul’s for her daughter Madison, 12. The sport, academic and extracurricular activities were also appealing.
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Nationally, the proportion of students staying from year 10 until year 12 was largely driven by students at government schools, which was up 1.3 percentage points to 74.3 per cent in 2024.
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