Per capita grants
Per capita grants
Per capita grants are provided to assist registered non-government schools with the costs of educating students.
Applications for per capita funding are made as part of the student census, which is conducted each semester.
Per capita grant funding for eligible students is based on the school’s funding category and students’ year levels.
Grants are paid quarterly as detailed in the funding order and accompanying guidelines. Payment dates are communicated to non-government schools ahead of each school year.
- Funding orders and guidelines
- Per capita funding rates
- Student eligibility criteria
- Student census and funding applications
- Financial accountability
The Minister for Education and Training makes an annual Non-government schools funding order under the School Education Act 1999, detailing recurrent state government grants.
The accompanying Guidelines for non-government school funding and Guidelines for non-government school funding − CARE schools provide additional detail on the terms, conditions, eligibility criteria and accountability requirements associated with these grants.
The Minister approves the state government per capita funding rates annually, following determination of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) for the upcoming year. Under the National School Reform Agreement funding arrangements, the state is required to contribute at least 20% of the SRS each year.
The annual per capita rates are published in the Non-government schools funding order.
To be eligible for per capita funding, students must meet the enrolment, attendance and residency criteria in the funding order and guidelines. School staff must ensure all students claimed for funding meet these criteria.
Each semester, staff at all schools have to complete the state government student census, to provide our Department with mandatory data. As part of the student census, non-government schools complete a per capita funding application (PCFA) form, which details the number of students eligible for per capita funding.
The PCFA form must be signed by a certification officer, a school employee nominated by the school’s governing body, attesting that the funding claim has been made appropriately.
For more information on the student census and to access the PCFA form, refer to Non-government student census.
Auditing of school funding claims is undertaken through the Grants Auditing Program (GAP).
As part of the GAP, staff at schools audited are required to provide documentation validating that students claimed for state government funding meet eligibility criteria.
Staff at schools must also annually acquit grants received, verifying that all state government funding provided during the year was spent in line with the requirements of the funding order and guidelines.
A list of all recurrent grants paid to non-government schools in 2023-24 is available. This also includes loans advanced under the state government's Low Interest Loan Scheme during the financial year.