Record 221,000 NSW public school students diagnosed with disabilities
More than one in four public school students are now identified as having a disability in NSW amid rising rates of young people diagnosed with autism and social and emotional disabilities.
NSW
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The number of public school students identified as having a disability has hit a record high in NSW amid surging rates of young people diagnosed with autism and social and emotional disabilities.
More than one in four NSW public school students are now identified as having a disability, sparking calls for more specialist teachers to be added to classrooms to keep up with demand.
Figures released by NSW Education Minister Prue Car show 221,000 students in the public school system were identified as having a disability in 2024 – equating to 28 per cent of the total school population.
The number represents a 21 per cent increase from 2022 and a 40 per cent increase from 2018 when 158,000 students were identified as having a disability.
The increase has been fuelled by a rise in students diagnosed with autism along with social and emotional disabilities.
In NSW, the number of students with autism enrolled in support classes increased 39 per cent over the last five years from 2726 to 4438.
In 2024, approximately 24,400 students were enrolled in support classes in mainstream schools and 6100 were enrolled in support classes in schools for specific purposes.
The remainder of students were enrolled in mainstream classes.
NSW Teachers Federation president Henry Rajendra said the figures highlighted the “indispensable work” of the state’s public school system at a time when “teacher workloads are surging”.
But the figures have also prompted calls for more tailored support and funding for schools which People with Disability Australia president Trinity Ford said would ensure “students with disabilities receive quality education”.
Ms Ford said this could also address concerns highlighted during the 2019 Disability Royal Commission which exposed how exclusion and segregation in schools can harm students with disability.
“The NSW Government needs to invest properly in inclusive education so that every student with disability can learn alongside their peers,” she said.
“(Schools) should move away from segregated settings and instead provide proper support within mainstream schools.”
The figures released by Ms Car follow an audit report into the state’s public school system which showed the number of students with disabilities is now growing faster than the state’s public school enrolment rate.
The NSW Audit report showed cognitive and social/emotional disabilities represent the most common form of disabilities for students in NSW – ahead of physical disabilities and sensory disabilities.
In the five year period to 2023, there was a 56 per cent increase in the number of students with social/emotional disabilities, and a 24 per cent increase in students with cognitive disabilities.
The report identified several areas of concern in the experience of students with a disability including limited student growth in NAPLAN results.
Other areas of concern included a “deterioration” in some measure of student wellbeing and a rise in the number of public secondary students experiencing bullying at school.
The NSW Department of Education – in its response to the audit – has committed to begin tracking and monitoring experiences and outcomes of students with a disability to inform “policies, programs and initiatives to improve experiences and outcomes for students with disability”.
A spokesman for the NSW Department of Education said increase in the number of reported students with disability was likely due to increased awareness and understanding of disability.
“NSW public schools offer a range of support services to meet the needs of our highly diverse student population, based on what individual students require,” he said.
“We conduct an annual review of specialist provision resources and adjust as necessary to meet the evolving needs of students.”
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Originally published as Record 221,000 NSW public school students diagnosed with disabilities
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