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 2019 to 2023(a)

  Year     Public schools     Non-government schools     Total  
2019 311,199 148,836 460,035
2020 317,368 149,949 467,317
2021 319,574 154,154 473,728
2022 318,332 157,864 476,196
2023 322,294 162,556 484,850

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Public schools include community kindergartens and non‑government schools include independent preschools.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A2: Schools and students in Western Australia by sector and subgroup 2023(a)(b)

Sector Schools Students
All Female Male Aboriginal
Public 830 322,294 154,760 167,269 28,755
Non-government 314 162,556 81,731 80,748 6,099
Total 1,144 484,850 236,491 248,017 34,854

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Public schools include community kindergartens.
(b) All includes gender category ‘Other’.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A3: Students at Western Australian schools by year level and sector 2023(a)

  Year level     Public schools     Non-government schools     Total  
Pre-Kindergarten – 1,985 1,985
Kindergarten 23,242 8,753 31,995
Pre-primary 25,694 9,050 34,744
Year 1 26,425 9,383 35,808
Year 2 26,941 9,679 36,620
Year 3 25,955 9,733 35,688
Year 4 25,880 10,172 36,052
Year 5 25,574 10,570 36,144
Year 6 24,735 10,838 35,573
Year 7 20,550 14,937 35,487
Year 8 20,556 14,604 35,160
Year 9 20,724 14,020 34,744
Year 10 21,111 13,846 34,957
Year 11 19,380 13,483 32,863
Year 12 15,496 11,503 26,999
Primary total 204,446 80,163 284,609
Secondary total 117,848 82,393 200,241
Grand total 322,294 162,556 484,850

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Public schools include community kindergartens. Totals include ungraded students.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A4: Students at Western Australian public schools by level of education and subgroup 2023(a)(b)

Level of education All Female Male Aboriginal
Primary 204,446 98,371 106,042 18,154
Secondary 117,848 56,389 61,227 10,601
Total 322,294 154,760 167,269 28,755

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) All includes gender category ‘Other’.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A5: Western Australian public schools and students by school type and level of education 2023(a)

School type Schools Students
Primary Secondary Total
Community kindergarten 18 489 0 489
Primary(b) 574 191,015 560 191,575
District high 53 7,268 4,028 11,296
Kindergarten–Year 12(c) 6 1,946 1,925 3,871
Secondary 113 0 109,512 109,512
Education support(d) 64 3,630 1,815 5,445
Specialist services(e) 2 98 8 106
Total 830 204,446 117,848 322,294

(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 and centres.
(e) Comprises School of Special Educational Needs: Behaviour and Engagement and School of Special Educational Needs: Sensory.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A6: Students at Western Australian public schools by year level 2019 to 2023(a)

Year level 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Kindergarten 24,397 25,060 24,263 23,661 23,242
Pre-primary 25,839 25,785 26,535 25,654 25,694
Year 1 26,075 26,130 25,909 26,538 26,425
Year 2 25,417 26,197 26,018 25,744 26,941
Year 3 25,344 25,427 26,049 25,786 25,955
Year 4 24,985 25,288 25,095 25,618 25,880
Year 5 24,351 24,777 24,899 24,602 25,574
Year 6 24,644 24,227 24,503 24,597 24,735
Year 7 20,824 21,594 20,892 20,330 20,550
Year 8 19,612 20,854 21,413 20,696 20,556
Year 9 18,702 19,663 20,655 21,111 20,724
Year 10 17,923 18,760 19,548 20,289 21,111
Year 11 17,839 18,288 18,286 18,363 19,380
Year 12 15,159 15,235 15,470 15,272 15,496
Primary total 201,052 202,891 203,271 202,200 204,446
Secondary total 110,147 114,477 116,303 116,132 117,848
Grand total 311,199 317,368 319,574 318,332 322,294

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens. Totals include ungraded students.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A7: Proportion (%) of students by geolocation of Western Australian public schools by level of education 2023(a)(b)

  Geolocation(c)       Primary     Secondary All  
Metropolitan 77.6 77.1 77.4
Inner regional 8.1 8.8 8.3
Outer regional 6.9 7.7 7.2
Remote 4.7 3.9 4.4
Very remote 2.8 2.4 2.7

(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.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A8: Western Australian public schools and students by education region and level of education 2023(a)

Education region Schools Students
Primary Secondary Total
Metropolitan
   North Metropolitan 253 75,656 43,247 118,903
   South Metropolitan 272 85,695 48,370 134,065
Total 525 161,351 91,617 252,968
Country(b)
   Goldfields 38 5,372 2,713 8,085
   Kimberley 23 3,271 1,979 5,250
   Midwest 46 4,900 2,846 7,746
   Pilbara 29 6,547 3,117 9,664
   Southwest 100 17,602 12,319 29,921
   Wheatbelt 69 5,403 3,257 8,660
Total 305 43,095 26,231 69,326
Grand total 830 204,446 117,848 322,294

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) Defined as all non‑metropolitan education regions.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Figure A1: Aboriginal students at Western Australian public schools by level of education 2019 to 2023(a)

A stacked column chart showing the number of Aboriginal public school students by primary, secondary and all. The total number of Aboriginal students has increased from 26,002 in 2019 to 28,755 in 2023. The number of Aboriginal primary students has increased from 16,887 in 2019 to 18,154 in 2023. The number of Aboriginal secondary students has increased from 9,115 in 2019 to 10,601 in 2023.

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A9: Aboriginal students at Western Australian public schools by year level 2019 to 2023(a)

Year level 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Kindergarten 1,800 1,897 1,893 1,908 1,873
Pre-primary 2,137 2,151 2,224 2,271 2,290
Year 1 2,181 2,234 2,242 2,328 2,401
Year 2 2,139 2,240 2,280 2,274 2,395
Year 3 2,192 2,173 2,267 2,308 2,313
Year 4 2,125 2,218 2,201 2,277 2,340
Year 5 2,169 2,129 2,226 2,185 2,311
Year 6 2,144 2,208 2,131 2,244 2,231
Year 7 1,975 1,979 2,003 1,912 2,043
Year 8 1,858 1,958 1,994 2,074 1,967
Year 9 1,637 1,789 1,886 1,923 2,036
Year 10 1,390 1,549 1,735 1,822 1,935
Year 11 1,362 1,245 1,371 1,443 1,567
Year 12 893 918 877 974 1,053
Primary total 16,887 17,250 17,464 17,795 18,154
Secondary total 9,115 9,438 9,866 10,148 10,601
Grand total 26,002 26,688 27,330 27,943 28,755

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens. Totals include ungraded students.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A10: Aboriginal students at Western Australian public schools by education region 2023(a)

Education region Aboriginal All Aboriginal students as % of all public school students
Metropolitan
   North Metropolitan 5,634 118,903 4.7
   South Metropolitan 8,458 134,065 6.3
Total 14,092 252,968 5.6
Country(b)
   Goldfields 1,932 8,085 23.9
   Kimberley 3,255 5,250 62
   Midwest 2,528 7,746 32.6
   Pilbara 2,929 9,664 30.3
   Southwest 2,485 29,921 8.3
   Wheatbelt 1,534 8,660 17.7
Total 14,663 69,326 21.2
Grand total 28,755 322,294 8.9

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students. Includes community kindergartens.
(b) Defined as all non‑metropolitan education regions.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A11: Students registered to receive home education 2019 to 2023(a)(b)

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
3,720 4,116 4,562 6,151 6,466

(a) Under the School Education Act 1999 (WA), we are responsible for regulation of home education, including evaluation of home education programs and educational progress of students.
(b) As at March.
Source: Schools division

 

 

Table A12: Western Australian non-government schools and students by school type and level of education 2023(a)(b)

School type Schools Students
Primary Secondary Total
Primary 140 39,400 0 39,400
Primary–secondary 127 40,763 55,198 95,961
Secondary 47 0 27,195 27,195
Total 314 80,163 82,393 162,556

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students.
(b) Primary includes pre‑Kindergarten students at non‑government schools.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A13: Non-government schools and students by religious affiliation of school 2022 and 2023(a)

Religious affiliation Schools Students
  2022 2023 2022 2023
No religious affiliation 56 55 8,251 8,682
Total religious affiliation 257 259 149,613 153,874
   Anglican 19 19 23,270 23,944
   Baptist 14 14 11,736 12,168
   Catholic 164 165 80,998 82,250
   Seventh Day Adventist 5 5 698 738
   Uniting Church 8 8 8,423 8,945
   Various other 47 48 24,488 25,829
Grand total 313 314 157,864 162,556

(a) Semester 1 student census. Primary and full‑time secondary students.
Source: System and School Performance

 

 

Table A14: Students at Western Australian residential colleges 2019 to 2023(a)

College 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Albany 66 67 71 86 74
Broome 81 75 58 43 47
City Beach 56 45 47 44 47
Esperance 83 80 80 63 64
Geraldton 62 49 53 82 89
Merredin 37 37 39 32 34
Moora 26 37 42 36 30
Narrogin 93 83 68 55 42
Northam 9 14 21 23 21
Total 513 487 479 464 448

(a) Semester 1 student census.
Source: Public Schools Planning