The annual school census shows COVID-19 has had a clear impact on school enrolments across the ACT.
From 2012 to 2021, the annual growth rate in ACT school enrolments was consistently around 2%. However, from February 2021 to 2022 there was very little (0.4%) growth in the number of enrolments in ACT schools across government and non-government sectors. In 2022, there are 82,175 students enrolled in ACT public, Catholic and independent schools.
The most noticeable change relates to preschool, where enrolments decreased by 490 students (-8.0%) overall. This result was likely due to a range of factors, including:
- The reported reduction in the ACT estimated resident population for preschool aged children. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the estimated number of 3‑year-old children in the ACT in June 2021 was 300 less than the estimated amount in June 2020
- Some parents choosing not to enrol their children in (non-compulsory) preschool because of the impacts of the pandemic, particularly given children under 5 years old were not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination and increased case numbers in early 2022
- The proportion of Canberra families choosing public education has remained relatively stable against the longer term trend, with 62.2% of all students enrolled in a public school.
In 2022, there are 2,156 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled in public schools (77% of total). This is an increase of 269 students (14.3%) from 2018.
The annual census provides the Government with information concerning student enrolments across public and non-government schools and is used to allocate funding and resources.
