1. Student enrolment

Appendix 1

 

 

‘Primary’ denotes Kindergarten to Year 6 and ‘Secondary’ spans Years 7 to 12 unless specified otherwise.

 

 

Table A1: Students at Western Australian schools by sector 2006 to 2020(a)(b)
  Year     Public schools     Non-government schools     Total  
2006 252,061 119,896 371,957
2007 253,209 123,216 376,425
2008 253,838 127,248 381,086
2009 258,132 131,240 389,372
2010 258,115 134,335 392,450
2011 261,013 137,372 398,385
2012 268,129 140,006 408,135
2013 276,275 142,883 419,158
2014 283,739 144,877 428,616
2015 292,952 148,980 441,932
2016 296,377 148,545 444,922
2017 302,271 147,471 449,742
2018 307,520 147,813 455,333
2019 311,199 148,836 460,035
2020 317,368 149,949 467,317
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Public schools include community kindergartens and non-government schools include Independent pre-schools.
(b) Half cohort progressed through school from 2001 to 2014 inclusive, entering secondary education in 2010.

 

 

 

Table A2: Schools and students in Western Australia by sector and subgroup 2020(a)(b)
Sector Schools Students
All Female Male Aboriginal
Public 818 317,368 153,184 164,150 26,688
Non-government 311 149,949 74,883 75,066 5,190
Total 1,129 467,317 228,067 239,216 31,878
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Public schools include community kindergartens.
(b) All includes gender category Other.

 

 

 

Table A3: Students at Western Australian schools by year level and sector 2020(a)
  Year level     Public schools     Non-government schools     Total  
Pre-kindergarten – 1,628 1,628
Kindergarten 25,060 8,387 33,447
Pre-primary 25,785 8,627 34,412
Year 1 26,130 8,849 34,979
Year 2 26,197 8,953 35,150
Year 3 25,427 9,201 34,628
Year 4 25,288 9,486 34,774
Year 5 24,777 9,837 34,614
Year 6 24,227 10,074 34,301
Year 7 21,594 13,180 34,774
Year 8 20,854 13,566 34,420
Year 9 19,663 12,817 32,480
Year 10 18,760 12,300 31,060
Year 11 18,288 12,074 30,362
Year 12 15,235 10,904 26,139
Primary total 202,891 75,042 277,933
Secondary total 114,477 74,907 189,384
Grand total 317,368 149,949 467,317
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens in public schools and Independent pre-schools in non-government schools. Totals include ungraded students.

 

 

 

Table A4: Students at Western Australian public schools by level of education and subgroup 2020(a)(b)
Level of education All Female Male Aboriginal
Primary 202,891 97,956 104,930 17,250
Secondary 114,477 55,228 59,220 9,438
Total 317,368 153,184 164,150 26,688
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) All includes gender category Other.

 

 

 

Table A5: Western Australian public schools and students by school type and level of education 2020(a)
School type Schools Students
Primary Secondary Total
Community kindergarten 18 538 0 538
Primary(b) 563 189,670 516 190,186
District high 53 7,384 3,946 11,330
Kindergarten–Year 12(c) 6 2,033 2,007 4,040
Secondary 112 0 106,313 106,313
Education support(d) 64 3,172 1,674 4,846
Specialist services(e) 2 94 21 115
Total 818 202,891 114,477 317,368
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students.
(b) Includes schools of the air and remote community schools.
(c) Includes School of Isolated and Distance Education.
(d) Includes language development school/centres.
(e) Comprises School of Special Educational Needs: Behaviour and Engagement and School of Special Educational Needs: Sensory.

 

 

 

Table A6: Students at Western Australian public schools by year level 2016 to 2020(a)
Year level 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Kindergarten 23,877 24,543 24,644 24,397 25,060
Pre-primary 25,171 25,174 25,953 25,839 25,785
Year 1 25,171 25,465 25,444 26,075 26,130
Year 2 24,859 25,102 25,425 25,417 26,197
Year 3 25,261 24,853 25,064 25,344 25,427
Year 4 24,647 25,172 24,708 24,985 25,288
Year 5 22,797 24,301 24,775 24,351 24,777
Year 6 21,639 22,737 24,132 24,644 24,227
Year 7 17,783 18,673 19,679 20,824 21,594
Year 8 17,469 17,970 18,762 19,612 20,854
Year 9 17,326 17,582 18,057 18,702 19,663
Year 10 17,451 17,462 17,576 17,923 18,760
Year 11 18,187 18,088 17,954 17,839 18,288
Year 12 14,660 15,075 15,278 15,159 15,235
Primary total 193,422 197,347 200,145 201,052 202,891
Secondary total 102,955 104,924 107,375 110,147 114,477
Grand total 296,377 302,271 307,520 311,199 317,368
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens. Totals include ungraded students.

 

 

 

Table A7: Proportion (%) of students by geolocation of Western Australian public schools by level of education 2020(a)(b)
  Geolocation(c)       Primary     Secondary All  
Metropolitan 76.8 75.8 76.4
Inner regional 8.5 9.5 8.9
Outer regional 7.1 8.2 7.5
Remote 4.7 4.1 4.5
Very remote 2.9 2.4 2.7
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.
(c) Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Statistical Geography Standard, based on location of students’ schools.

 

 

 

Table A8: Western Australian public schools and students by education region and level of education 2020(a)
Education region Schools Students
Primary Secondary Total
Metropolitan
North Metropolitan 248 74,744 40,910 115,654
South Metropolitan 264 83,842 46,557 130,399
Total 512 158,586 87,467 246,053
Country(b)
Goldfields 38 5,198 2,704 7,902
Kimberley 23 3,560 2,025 5,585
Midwest 47 5,102 2,843 7,945
Pilbara 29 6,720 2,946 9,666
Southwest 100 18,187 13,036 31,223
Wheatbelt 69 5,538 3,456 8,994
Total 306 44,305 27,010 71,315
Grand total 818 202,891 114,477 317,368
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) Defined as all non-metropolitan education regions.
 

 

 

Figure A1: Aboriginal students at Western Australian public schools by level of education 2006 to 2020(a)(b)(c)

A stacked column chart showing the number of Aboriginal public school students by primary, secondary and all. The total number of Aboriginal students increased from 20,037 in 2006 to 26,002 in 2019 and 26,688 in 2020. The number of Aboriginal primary students gradually increased from 13,977 in 2005 to 17,056 in 2014. It then decreased to 15,739 in 2015 when Year 7 moved to secondary, and has steadily increased thereafter to 16,887 in 2019 and 17,250 in 2020. The number of Aboriginal secondary students gradually increased from 6,060 in 2006 to 6,755 in 2009. There was a substantial decrease to 5,824 in 2010 which was due to the half cohort entering secondary, followed by a gradual increase to 6,163 in 2014. In 2015 there was a substantial increase to 8,379 after the half cohort exited secondary at the end of 2014 and the move of Year 7 to secondary. Since then the secondary numbers have increased gradually to 9,115 in 2019 and 9,438 in 2020.

Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) Year 7 included in secondary from 2015. Prior to this Year 7 included in primary.
(c) Half cohort progressed through school from 2001 to 2014 inclusive, entering secondary education in 2010.

 

 

 

Table A9: Aboriginal students at Western Australian public schools by year level 2016 to 2020(a)
Year level 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Kindergarten 1,714 1,854 1,860 1,800 1,897
Pre-primary 2,027 2,020 2,115 2,137 2,151
Year 1 2,025 2,123 2,108 2,181 2,234
Year 2 2,076 2,073 2,160 2,139 2,240
Year 3 2,065 2,134 2,074 2,192 2,173
Year 4 2,089 2,095 2,141 2,125 2,218
Year 5 1,989 2,129 2,128 2,169 2,129
Year 6 1,872 2,032 2,156 2,144 2,208
Year 7 1,534 1,714 1,856 1,975 1,979
Year 8 1,619 1,584 1,726 1,858 1,958
Year 9 1,544 1,570 1,530 1,637 1,789
Year 10 1,375 1,457 1,464 1,390 1,549
Year 11 1,228 1,262 1,301 1,362 1,245
Year 12 736 816 852 893 918
Primary total 15,857 16,460 16,742 16,887 17,250
Secondary total 8,036 8,403 8,729 9,115 9,438
Grand total 23,893 24,863 25,471 26,002 26,688
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens. Totals include ungraded students.

 

 

 

Table A10: Aboriginal students at Western Australian public schools by education region 2020(a)
Education region Aboriginal All Aboriginal students as % of all public school students
Metropolitan
     North Metropolitan 5,062 115,654 4.4
     South Metropolitan 7,542 130,399 5.8
Total 12,604 246,053 5.1
Country(b)
     Goldfields 1,800 7,902 22.8
     Kimberley 3,417 5,585 61.2
     Midwest 2,324 7,945 29.3
     Pilbara 2,730 9,666 28.2
     Southwest 2,322 31,223 7.4
     Wheatbelt 1,491 8,994 16.6
Total 14,084 71,315 19.7
Grand total 26,688 317,368 8.4
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) Defined as all non-metropolitan education regions.

 

 

 

Table A11: Students registered to receive home education 2016 to 2020(a)(b)
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
3,303 3,464 3,563 3,720 4,116
Source: Statewide Services
(a) Under the School Education Act 1999, the Department is responsible for regulation of home education, including evaluation of home education programs and educational progress of students.
(b) As at end of March.

 

 

 

Table A12: Western Australian non-government schools and students by school type and level of education 2020(a)(b)
School type Schools Students
Primary Secondary Total
Primary 147 39,518 0 39,518
Primary–secondary 120 35,524 48,031 83,555
Secondary 44 0 26,876 26,876
Total 311 75,042 74,907 149,949
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students.
(b) Primary includes pre-kindergarten students at non-government schools.

 

 

 

Table A13: Non‑government schools and students by religious affiliation of school 2019 and 2020(a)
Religious affiliation Schools Students
  2019 2020 2019 2020
No religious affiliation 52 53 7,175 7,476
Total religious affiliation 257 258 141,661 142,473
   Anglican 19 19 22,104 22,069
   Baptist 15 15 10,199 10,791
   Catholic 164 164 78,617 78,521
   Seventh Day Adventist 5 5 701 717
   Uniting Church 8 8 8,826 8,459
   Various other 46 47 21,214 21,916
Grand total 309 311 148,836 149,949
Source: System and School Performance
(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full-time secondary students.

 

 

 

Table A14: Students at Western Australian residential colleges 2011 to 2020(a)
College 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Albany 95 97 80 81 86 94 82 69 66 67
Broome 52 77 51 72 73 72 102 99 81 75
City Beach 66 69 60 57 54 56 52 54 56 45
Esperance 78 86 75 73 82 79 95 87 83 80
Geraldton 100 89 89 62 60 80 68 55 62 49
Merredin 24 44 47 48 59 60 41 37 37 37
Moora 29 40 30 28 34 35 32 26 26 37
Narrogin 156 142 133 124 125 113 102 92 93 83
Northam 37 21 19 18 21 24 19 13 9 14
Total 637 665 584 563 594 613 593 532 513 487
Source: Schools Division
(a) Semester 1 student census.