Why are independent schools popular during a cost of living crisis?

There may be more to it than just funding

Photo by Isabella and Zsa Fischer on Unsplash

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New data shows that school enrolments in Australia’s nongovernment sector are growing and enrolments in the government system are declining. This is during a time where inflation is at a high point and it is generally accepted that we are enduring a cost of living crisis.

First, some background. Nongovernment schools in Australia consist of two main sectors — Catholic schools and independent schools, with the latter mostly associated with a faith such as the Anglican or Presbyterian church. Catholic and independent schools receive a considerable amount of per-student funding from federal and state governments. This reduces the fees they need to charge and explains why over a third of Australian students are able to attend these schools. In the UK, Catholic, Anglican and other faith-based schools often sit fully within the government sector and are free to attend. In contrast, Australian government schools are secular, complicating any direct comparison with the UK.

The latest figures show that enrolments in Catholic schools have risen by 1% and independent schools by 3.3%. Enrolments in government schools have declined by 0.6%, following a decline in 2021 of 0.2%.

I work in an independent school and have a few ideas about what might be happening. Oddly, I never intended to teach in an independent school when I first moved to Australia. In London, I always taught in government schools. Yet, I am grateful I ended up where I did. My school’s commitment to education research set me on the path to my PhD and I now realise that if I worked in the government system, I would likely be silenced by oppressive media and social media policies — a shameful practice in a liberal democracy and one that I am told holds teachers back from sharing their views on policy with the taxpaying and voting public. Nevertheless, should you wish, you can discount everything I go on to write as the views of a vested interest.

So, given the context of tightening finances, why are independent schools in particular — as opposed to Catholic schools — so popular?