SA’s fastest-growing regional schools – and where student enrolments have dropped

Mount Barker’s two public schools have experienced massive growth over the past few years as the town explodes in numbers – so could new schools be built?

• Listed: The SA schools with skyrocketing enrolments

The fastest-growing SA regional schools have been revealed, as have those where numbers are most quickly falling.

The regional school with the most growth is Xavier College in Gawler, which has risen from 782 in 2018 to 1432 in 2022, an 83 per cent rise, after a merger with St Brigid’s Catholic School in Evanston.

St Barbara’s Parish School in Roxby Downs is second, with a 75 per cent rise, while Mount Barker is the highest public school on the regional list, with a huge jump of 66 per cent – 608 students to 1012, as the region explodes with new development.

Mount Barker Primary has also grown to 41 per cent since 2018.

Two businesses cases for new schools in Mount Barker were approved at the start of the year,

The huge growth at the schools – and across Mount Barker in general – sparked a push for new schools, and in January the Education Minister approved two business cases to investigate the need for new schools in the area, and one for the northern suburbs.

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“Population growth is the key contributing factor for increasing student enrolments,” an Education Department spokesperson said.

“There has been extensive work undertaken this year in Mount Barker, including meetings and consultations with the council, local schools and other key stakeholders to progress the business plan for new school infrastructure.

“The business case for Mount Barker is considering several options to address current pressures, and provide a plan for the future of public education in the area.

“The business case also plays into a broader statewide piece of work around capacity management for schools right across South Australia, including the potential for new school infrastructure in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, due to its rapid population growth.”

The spokesperson said the Minister had tasked the Department for Education with developing a long-term preschool and school infrastructure strategy, which will help guide better decisions about investments now and into the future.

The spokesperson said enrolments at Springton Primary School had been declining since 2019, and had remained relatively stable between 2018 and 2021 at Basket Range Primary School.

“These schools are not in areas of significant population growth, and have a range of education options available nearby.”

The analysis is based on enrolment data published on the MySchool website, which provides the most up to date enrolment figures available across all public and private schools.

Xavier College, which was established in 1995, as one a year 7-12 campus at Gawler Belt, says it will have about 1100 students in 2024.

Xavier College student Stella, 5, with head of Two Wells Campus Janet Coomber. Picture/ Russell Millard

Xavier College, which was established in 1995, as one a year 7-12 campus at Gawler Belt, says it will have about 1100 students in 2024.

A spokeswoman said Xavier College opened its Two Wells Campus in 2021 with 157 students, and in 2024 expected to have close to 770.

“In 2023 we amalgamated with St Brigid’s Catholic School in Evanston,” the spokeswoman said. “This has now become our Xavier College Evanston Campus.

“Students are drawn from a large catchment area of both government and non-government schools in the local area and surrounding suburbs.

“Our catchment stretches north to Mallala, Dublin, Balaklava and Clare, east to the Barossa, and south to Munno Para, Craigmore and Elizabeth.

“Housing development in the north, particularly in Gawler, Roseworthy, Angle Vale, Virginia and Two Wells has assisted this growth together with the excellent reputation Xavier College has for affordable private school Catholic education.”

Annesley Junior School in Wayville is the state’s fastest growing school, swelling from 99 students in 2018 to 266 students last year – a jump of 169 per cent.

At the other end of the spectrum the population at public Moorook Primary School plummeted 81 per cent over the same period, to just 7 students in 2022.