Australia’s school population has reached a new record, with the strongest growth coming from the independent sector, according to newly released data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The latest figures show total school enrolments increased by 0.7 per cent in 2025, adding 28,912 students across the country’s 9,673 schools. That brings the total number of students in Australian schools to 4,160,918, the highest level on record.

ABS head of education statistics Mell Plumb said independent schools accounted for the largest increase.

“Independent school enrolments grew by 3.4 per cent, followed by Catholic schools at 1.4 per cent,” Ms Plumb said.

In contrast, enrolments in government schools fell slightly, declining by 0.2 per cent over the year.

Looking at the longer-term trend, independent schools have seen the fastest growth of any sector. Between 2021 and 2025, enrolments in independent schools rose by 15.3 per cent, compared with 5.7 per cent growth in Catholic schools. Government school enrolments fell by 0.4 per cent during the same period.

The shift is even more pronounced over the past decade. Since 2016, independent schools have added more than 168,000 students, an increase of 31 per cent, while Catholic schools grew by eight per cent and government schools by five per cent.

The data also highlights changes in how long students are staying in the education system.

Overall, secondary school enrolments rose by 1.9 per cent in 2025, while primary school numbers fell slightly by 0.3 per cent.

Retention rates are also improving. The proportion of students staying in school from Year 7 or 8 through to Year 12 increased to 81.3 per cent in 2025, up from 79.9 per cent the previous year.

Similarly, the share of students continuing from Year 10 to Year 12 rose to 81.5 per cent, reflecting a steady trend toward longer participation in secondary education.

The figures also show growth in enrolments among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, with 283,611 Indigenous students enrolled in Australian schools in 2025 — representing 6.8 per cent of the total school population.

That number increased by 8,911 students from the previous year, while the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students remaining in school from Year 10 to Year 12 rose to 59.7 per cent.

The latest ABS data paints a picture of a growing school population, shifting enrolment patterns across sectors, and more students staying in the education system through to the final years of secondary school.