Click here to read the full National Report on Schooling in Australia 2023 (PDF 1.8MB)

or scroll down to read the Executive Summary.

Executive Summary

The National Report on Schooling in Australia 2023 is the 35th annual national report on Australia’s school education sector. It has been produced by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on behalf of Australian education ministers. 

The report highlights progress in 2023 towards the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration released by Australian education ministers in 2019 and is and is the third National Report on Schooling that has addressed these nationally agreed goals and commitments.  

The written report addresses the 11 areas of commitment to action specified in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) declaration, describes the national policy and reporting context for school education in Australia, and reports against the nationally agreed key performance measures (KPMs) for schooling specified in the Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia 2020 (updated 13/9/2023), providing data, analysis and commentary. It also includes other high-level statistical information on Australian schooling in 2023 and for the period 2013–2023 inclusive. 

Chapter 2, ‘Schools and schooling’, provides information on the status of Australian schooling in 2023, including school, student and teacher numbers and school structures. 

In Australia, responsibility for school education rests mainly with the 6 state and 2 territory governments. All states and territories provide for 13 years of formal school education. Primary education, including a foundation year, lasts for 7 years and is followed by secondary education of 6 years. Typically, schooling commences at age 5, is compulsory from age 6 until age 17 (with provision for alternative study or work arrangements in the senior secondary years), and is completed at age 17 or 18. School structures and age requirements in states and territories are summarised in section 2.1.

School, student and teacher numbers in 2023 are shown for Australia and by state and territory in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Number of schools, students and teachers by state and territory, Australia, 2023 

Notes: Student numbers are individuals (full-time students plus part-time students). Teacher numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff.

Source: ABS, Schools, 2023.

School Numbers

In 2023, there were 9,629 schools in Australia, an increase of 15 schools since 2022. The majority (69.7%) of schools are government schools, established and administered by state and territory governments through their education departments or authorities. The remaining 30.3% are non-government schools, mostly associated with religious organisations.

More than three-quarters (76.9%) of primary schools were government schools. Most secondary schools (73.3%) and special schools (65.6%) were also government schools, while most combined schools (64.4%) were non-government schools, mainly in the independent school sector.

View the data portal page on school numbers. 

Student Numbers 

A total of 4,086,998 students were enrolled in Australian schools in 2023, an increase of 1.1% from 2022. Almost two-thirds (64.0%) of school students were enrolled in government schools, 19.7% were in Catholic schools and 16.3% in independent schools.

More than half of students (55.3%) were primary school students. This difference is mainly due to the structure of schooling, in which primary schooling includes more year groups than secondary schooling.

View the data portal page on student numbers. 

School students with disability

In 2023, 991,272 school students received an educational adjustment due to disability. This represents 24.2% of total enrolments, up from 22.5% in 2022 and 18.0% in 2015. 

Among school students who received an educational adjustment due to disability in 2023, 54.3% of adjustments were provided to students with cognitive disability, 33.6% to students with social-emotional disability, 9.3% for students with physical disability and 2.7% for sensory disability.  

View the data portal page on school students with disability. 

Staff Numbers

In 2023, there were 311,655 full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff in Australia, an increase of 4,427 (1.4%) from 2022. Staff numbers closely reflect student enrolments with 62.6% of school teachers employed in government schools, 19.3% in Catholic schools 18.2% in independent schools.

Australia’s teaching workforce continued to be predominantly female, with women making up 71.9% of FTE teachers in 2023. The gender difference was more pronounced at the primary level (82.1% female) than at secondary level (61.4% female).   

View the data portal page on staff numbers. 

Student-teacher Ratios

The average student to teaching staff ratio was 13.1 students per teacher — the same as in 2022 and a reduction from 13.3 students per teacher in 2021. Student-teacher ratios were lower in independent schools (11.8 students per teacher) compared to Catholic schools and government schools (13.4 students per teacher).

View the data portal page on student-teacher ratios. 

Chapter 3, ‘Policies and priorities’, outlines the national policy context for Australian schooling in 2023 and reports against the commitments to action agreed by Australian education ministers in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. 

This chapter summarises the national policy context for schooling, including the role of the national ministerial forum, the Education Ministers Meeting (EMM), in deciding agreed national policy for education in 2023 and the broader framework within which national decisions for schooling were made. It also reports on national progress in implementing the 11 Commitments to Action specified in the Mparntwe declaration,

Progress towards this commitment to action in 2023 included:

• A commitment to attracting and retaining high quality teachers through investment in the Australian Teacher Workforce Data nationally, and career development opportunities across all jurisdictions.
• Lifting preschool enrolments and attendance through the Preschool Reform Agreement, a $2 billion four-year national reform which supports the delivery of 15 hours a week (or 600 hours a year) of quality preschool programs by early childhood teachers.
• The commencement of planning, teaching and assessing using the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. 
• The embedding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures into curriculum and pedagogy, including through the development of culturally responsive resources and professional learning as well as offering Indigenous Languages and Cultures courses.
• A focus on inclusion, with the development of state specific frameworks and hiring of specialist staff to support diverse learning needs.

View the data portal page on policies and priorities.

Chapters 4 to 8 report on the performance of Australian schooling in 2023, using the nationally agreed key performance measures (KPMs) for schooling specified in the Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia 2020.  

These chapters report on the agreed KPMs scheduled for reporting in 2023. The measures are reported at the national level, and by various breakdowns such as state and territory, school sector, school year and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status. For relevant KPMs, time series for the previous 10 years (2013–2023) are also included. Where relevant breakdowns or time series are not reported, they are provided in the National Report on Schooling data portal, as part of extensive statistical information on schooling in Australia, along with technical notes and caveats.

Chapter 4 reports on student enrolment, attendance, and apparent retention.

Enrolment Rates

Data from the National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC) indicate that in 2023, the proportion of 6–15-year-olds enrolled in school in Australia was 98.6% – the same as in 2022, but down from 99.0% in 2021.

View the data portal page on enrolment rates.

Student Attendance

In 2023, The attendance rate for students in Years 1-10 was 88.6%, up from 86.5% in 2022. The national student attendance level (the percentage of students with above 90 per cent attendance) was 61.6% in 2023, up from 49.9% in 2022.

View the data portal page on student attendance. 

Apparent Retention

Apparent retention rates estimate the progression of students through school over several years through several year levels. The national apparent retention rate from Year 10 to Year 12 decreased by 0.3 percentage points - from 79.0% in 2022 to 78.7% in 2023. The apparent retention rate from Year 10 to Year 12 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students decreased by 0.6 percentage points, from 56.4% in 2022 to 55.8% in 2023.

View the data portal page on apparent retention.

Chapter 5 reports on student achievement in the National Assessment Program (NAP) and International Assessments.  

NAPLAN

Section 5.1 reports on participation and achievement in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

From 2023, the numerical NAPLAN bands and national minimum standards were replaced with 4 levels of proficiency (Exceeding, Strong, Developing, and Needs additional support). The new standards are reported on a reset NAPLAN measurement scale that makes better use of the online adaptive tests. Together with the move to earlier NAPLAN testing (in March rather than May), these changes met an initiative of the 2019 National School Reform Agreement.

Due to the change to the reporting standards for NAPLAN in 2023 and the changes to the timing of the NAPLAN tests, results from 2023 onwards cannot be directly compared to results from 2008 to 2022. Therefore, a new NAPLAN time series was established from 2023.

In 2023:

• NAPLAN participation rates were over 96% for Years 3, 5 and 7. Year 9 students had the lowest participation in NAPLAN at 92.3%. 
• Mean scaled scores do not increase consistently across year levels. For example, for reading, the difference in mean scaled scores is 91.3 points between Year 3 and Year 5, and 28.1 points between Year 7 and Year 9.
• Among Year 3 students, the percentage with NAPLAN scores at the Strong or Exceeding proficiency level was 66.8% for reading, 76.0% for writing and 64.7% for numeracy.
• The percentage of Year 5 students with NAPLAN scores at the Strong or Exceeding proficiency level was 74.2% for reading, 66.2% for writing and 67.7% for numeracy.
• Among Year 7 students, the percentage with NAPLAN scores at the Strong or Exceeding proficiency level was 68.4% reading, 62.5% for writing and 67.2% for numeracy.
• The percentage of Year 9 Students with NAPLAN scores at the Strong or Exceeding proficiency level was 62.8% reading, 58.0% for writing and 63.9% for numeracy.

View the data portal page on NAPLAN national results.

NAP sample assessments

In 2023, the proportion of participating Year 6 students achieving at or above the proficient standard for Science Literacy was 57%. This was not significantly different to the proportion achieving at or above the proficient standard in 2018 (58%).  

The proportion of participating Year 10 students attaining the proficient standard for Science Literacy was 54%. This was not significantly different to the proportion achieving at or above the proficient standard in 2018 (50%).

View the data portal page on NAP Sample assessments.

International Assessments

In 2023, 72% of Year 4 students and 64% of Year 8 students had Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) Mathematics scores at or above the proficient standard; 83% of Year 4 students and 70% of Year 8 students had TIMMS Science scores at or above the proficient standard.

View the data portal page on NAP Sample assessments.

Vocational Education and Training

Chapter 6 reports on participation of young people aged 15-19 in Vocational Education and Training (VET). In Australia in 2023: 

• More than a quarter (26.8%) of 15-19-year-olds completing at least one unit of competency at AQF Certificate II or above, up from 26.3% in 2022.     
• Almost half (49.2%) of qualifications gained by 15–19-year-olds were at AQF level II and 33.6% were at AQF level III.
• The long-term trend in the proportion of 15–19-year-olds participating in VET was downward, from 29.6% in 2015 to 26.8% in 2023.

View the data portal page on participation in vocational education and training. 

Participation in education and work

Chapter 7 reports on the participation of young people aged 15 to 24 in education and/or work, as measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Education and Work. In Australia in 2023:  

• The proportion of 15–19-year-olds who were fully engaged in education, training or work was 87.3% – down from 88.3% in 2022 and 90.3% in 2021. Despite this, this rate is still higher than rates reported in 2018 and 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The proportion of 20–24-year-olds who were fully engaged in education, training or work increased to 77.4% – up from 76.4% in 2022. This is the highest this rate has been since 2008.
• The proportion of 17–24-year-olds who had left school and were fully engaged in education, training or work increased to 75.4% – up from 75.0% in 2022. This represents a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.

View the data portal page on participation in education and work.

Student attainment

Chapter 8 reports levels of educational attainment of young people aged 20 to 24.

Among 20–24-year-olds in 2023, the proportion who had attained at least Year 12 or AQF Certificate II or above was 90.4%, and the proportion who had attained at least Year 12 or AQF Certificate III or above was 89.6%.

Since 2013, the proportion of 20–24-year-olds who had attained at least Year 12 or AQF Certificate II or above has risen 3.7 percentage points from 86.7% to 90.4% and the proportion of 20–24-year-olds who had attained at least Year 12 or AQF Certificate III or above has risen 3.9 percentage points from 85.7% to 89.6%. The long-term upward trend in these measures is in line with long-standing government policy to increase levels of attainment for young people in Australia.

 View the data portal page on student attainment. 

Key Performance Measures

Table 1 summarises the national KPMs for 2023 in comparison with 2022, or the most recent calendar year for which comparable data exists. This is expressed as the short-term change to each KPM. For NAP Science Literacy, the most recent previous calendar year is 2018. For the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments, the most recent calendar year is 2019.  

Table 1 also summarises longer-term trends in the movement of KPMs. This data demonstrates that while changes in KPMs from year to year are generally small, successive increments over time may result in measurable long-term trends.

Table 1: Key performance measures for schooling, Australia, 2022‒2023, and long-term trends

Key Performance Measures

Short-term change

Long-term trend

2022 or previous calendar year

2023

Change

Trend period

Average annual change (percent. points)

Trend

1. Student participation

1(b) Attendance rate: The number of actual full-time equivalent student-days attended by full-time students in Years 1 to 10 in Semester 1 as a percentage of the total number of possible student-days attended in Semester 1 (%)

86.5

88.6

↔

2014-23

-0.6

↓

1(c) Attendance level: The proportion of full-time students in Years 1-10 whose attendance rate in Semester 1 is equal to or greater than 90 per cent (%)

49.9

61.6

↔

2018-23

-3.9

↓

1(d) NAPLAN participation: Proportion of students participating in NAPLAN in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (%)

Year 3

96.0

96.1

↔

2008-23

-0.1

↔

Year 5

96.3

96.6

↔

2008-23

-0.1

↔

Year 7

95.2

96.2

↔

2008-23

-0.2

↓

Year 9

91.7

92.2

↔

2008-23

-0.3

↓

1(e) Apparent retention rate from Year 10 to Year 12 (%)

79.0

78.7

↔

2010-23

0.1

↔

1(f) Participation of young people in VET including VET in Schools: Proportion of the population aged 15 to 19 years who in the calendar year successfully completed at least one Unit of Competency as part of a VET qualification at AQF Certificate II or above (%)

26.3

26.8

↔

2015-23

-0.3

↓

1(g) Proportion of 15 to 19-year-olds in full-time education or training, in full-time work, or both in part-time work and part-time education or training) (%)

ABS Survey of Education and Work

88.3

87.3

↔

2004-23

0.2

↑

1(h) Proportion of 20 to 24-year-olds in full-time education or training, in full-time work, or both in part-time work and part-time education or training (%)

ABS Survey of Education and Work

76.4

77.4

↔

2004-23

-0.2

↓

1(i) Proportion of 17–24-year-olds who have left school that are in full-time education or training, in full-time work, or both in part-time work and part-time education or training (%)

ABS Survey of Education and Work

75.0

75.4

↔

2004-23

-0.2

↓

2. Student Achievement – National Achievement Program – Literacy

2(b) NAPLAN mean scale scores for Reading in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (points on NAPLAN scale)

Year 3 (2023 scale)

–

404.6

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 5 (2023 scale)

–

495.9

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 7 (2023 scale)

–

536.3

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 9 (2023 scale)

–

564.4

N/A

–

–

N/A

2(d) NAPLAN mean scale scores for Writing in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (points on NAPLAN scale)

Year 3 (2023 scale)

–

422.1

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 5 (2023 scale)

–

484.3

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 7 (2023 scale)

–

529.8

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 9 (2023 scale)

–

559.9

N/A

–

–

N/A

3. Student Achievement – National Achievement Program – Numeracy

3(b) NAPLAN mean scale scores for Numeracy in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 (points on NAPLAN scale)

Year 3 (2023 scale)

–

407.3

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 5 (2023 scale)

–

487.6

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 7 (2023 scale)

–

538.4

N/A

–

–

N/A

Year 9 (2023 scale)

–

567.7

N/A

–

–

N/A

3(d) Proportion of students achieving at or above the proficient standard (Intermediate international benchmark) on the TIMSS Mathematics scales (Comparison year is 2019):

Year 4 (%)

70

72

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Year 8 (%)

68

64

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

4. Student Achievement – Science

4(a) Proportion of students achieving at or above the proficient standard in NAP Science Literacy (Comparison year is 2018):

Year 6 – Level 3 (%)

58.1

56.6

↔

2003-23

0.1

↔

Year 10 – Level 4 (%)

49.6

53.7

↔

–

–

N/A

4(b) Proportion of students achieving at or above the proficient standard (Intermediate international benchmark) on the TIMSS Science scales (Comparison year is 2019):

Year 4 (%)

78

83

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Year 8 (%)

74

70

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

7. Student Attainment

7(a) Proportion of the 20 to 24-year-old population having attained at least Year 12 or equivalent or AQF Certificate II or above

ABS Survey of Education and Work (%)

90.6

90.4

↔

2004-23

0.5

↑

7(b) Proportion of the 20 to 24-year-old population having attained at least Year 12 or equivalent or AQF Certificate III or above

ABS Survey of Education and Work (%)

90.1

89.6

↔

2004-23

0.5

↑

Notes:

Except for NAPLAN scale scores, KPMs are expressed as percentages.  Where appropriate, measures of short-term change in Table 1 have been tested for statistical significance. Where KPMs are based on census or administrative data, changes of more than 0.1 percentage points are considered noteworthy/significant.

Long-term trends for each KPM are shown for the period (at least 3 years) over which comparable data is available. To measure long-term trends, a line of best fit is calculated when at least three points are available. The annual change is calculated from the gradient. When the gradient exceeds the standard deviation calculated for the yearly KPMs, the line of best fit can be categorised as “trending up” or “trending down”.  When there is no difference, the line of best fit will be described as “trending flat”.

↑ means the short-term increase in the measure was significant/the long-term trend was positive/upward

↓ means the short-term decrease in the measure was significant/the long-term trend was negative/downward

↔ means the short-term change in the measure was not significant/a long-term trend was not evident N/A means not available. In 2023, NAPLAN testing moved from May to March and the NAPLAN scale was reset introducing a break in trend. Therefore, the trend in NAPLAN Achievement key performance measures cannot be shown beyond 2022. Trend data for 2008 to 2022 by state and territory, and by other disaggregations where possible and appropriate, is provided in the Key Performance Measures data set in the National Report on Schooling data portal.

Chapter 9, ‘School funding’, reports data on government spending on Australian schooling and data on school income and capital expenditure. 

Schools are funded through a combination of state or territory government funding, Australian Government funding, fees and charges and other parental or private contributions.  

• In the 2022–23 financial year, total recurrent government funding for schooling was $85.92 billion ($24,857 per student in government schools and $14,561 per student in non-government schools). This was made up of $58.85 billion (68.5%) from state and territory budgets and $27.08 billion (31.5%) from the Australian Government (Commonwealth) budget.  
• Overall, 75.4% ($64.75 billion) of total recurrent government funding was allocated to government schools and 24.6% ($21.17 billion) to non-government schools.
• Average school income per student in 2023 (from all sources including government funding, fees and charges, and private contributions) was $19,428 in government schools, $21,114 in Catholic schools and $27,279 in independent schools.
• In the 2022–23 financial year, average total government recurrent expenditure (money spent on the daily operations of schools) was $24,857 per student in government schools, with 45.8% of total government recurrent expenditure ($11,378 per student) spent on teaching staff salaries.
• In the 2023 calendar year, average total recurrent expenditure (money spent on the daily operations of schools) was $21,252 per student in non-government schools, with 44.5% of total recurrent expenditure ($9,461 per student) spent on teaching staff salaries.

View the data portal pages on school income and school expenditure.