Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier, tops list of SA’s richest regional schools

One raked in nearly $130m in five years , while the next See the richest and poorest schools across the regions and Adelaide Hills.

A Mount Gambier Catholic college has raked in more than $129.2m in five years – $21,594 per student in 2022 – the most recent school funding statistics reveal.

Independent analysis of school financial records from the MySchool website revealed Tenison Woods College in Mount Gambier had a higher gross income than any other school in regional South Australia.

The school made a gross income of $129.2m over past five years and its income increased by 30 per cent between 2018 and 2022.

Tenison principal David Mezinec said the college, which has 1500 students ranging from three-year-old early learners up to year 12, was the “first preference” for many families in the region.

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Tenison Woods College principal David Mezinec and 2024 college captains Teangi Stephens and Bree Robinson. Picture: Jessica Dempster

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“We’ve worked hard to offer a broad curriculum to students, one that has families in that region considering us their first preference for their child’s education, which is a really heartening thing to achieve” Mr Mezinec said.

“We have an approach that says every child at Tenison has a place, a pathway – a place they shine – and that’s what we commit to.

“We’re not saying we’re the best sports school or the best musical school, but we’re saying if you come to us, we will gather around you and provide you with the best experience on your path.”

According to the data SA’s second richest school in the regions was Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School, in Strathalbyn, which had a gross income of $119.7m and $17,979 per student in 2022. The multi-campus school emerged after five existing schools merged.

The school with the third highest gross income was Xavier College – Gawler Campus, which made $111m, or $21,392 per student in 2022.

Mr Mezinec said Tenison’s service guarantee sets the college apart.

“We can’t control what others do but we definitely can control what we do and control the experience our children have in the classroom,” he said.

The grounds of Tenison Woods College. Picture: Facebook

“Part of creating the opportunities we provide that extend beyond the classroom, such as camps, retreats, sporting opportunities and so forth, is being quite frugal and careful with how we spend money and finances so that we get the best bang for our buck.”

He said being a big school provided capacity to afford those “experiences”.

“But we also have some really strong financial processes of accountability and ensuring the experiences are economic and affordable for families,” he said.

“There’s a discourse that Catholic or private schools get a leg up but it’s important to understand that what we do comes about because of really careful management of the school.”

Mr Mezinec said accessibility remained one of Tenison’s highest priorities.

“We have a mantra that says finances are not the thing that prevents you from having an education at Tenison, there’s always a way for us to navigate the finances if there are challenges so the education remains a priority.”

Now in his 14th year as principal, Mr Mezinec said he was proud of the college’s Project Recology – a part of the school that champions composting, recycling and sustainability.

He said the school was “pretty close” to its aim to be zero-waste by 2025, and by 2030 hoped to be off-grid.

Tenison Woods College. Picture: Facebook

“We are a school that has many privileges and advantages but with that comes a commitment and a need to think of others and make the world a better place – that’s the responsibility that our graduates leave with.

“I say to them, ‘you go now, and you have to make a difference with the opportunity you’ve had’.”

The poorest regional SA school was Robertstown Primary School in the Mid North, making $2.7m over the five-year period, with an income per student in 2022 of $58,840.

Port Neill Primary School on the Lower Eyre Peninsula was second lowest, also with $2.7m.

However, its income increased by 21 per cent from 2018 to 2022, while Robertstown was unchanged.

Port Neill’s income per student in 2022 was $38,826.

Booborowie Primary School in the Mid North was third with $3.2m, which fell by 23 per cent. It had $46,334 per student in 2022.

The total gross income figure includes all fees, charges and parental contributions as well as state and federal government funding and any other private sources between 2018 to 2022.

It does not include any deductions for capital works or debt servicing.

The analysis does not include special schools or schools that did not have complete financial data in MySchool for one or more of the five years.