Elite Brisbane private school where enrolments have surged

Competition is so fierce at South East Queensland’s most exclusive private schools that some recommend parents enrol their child at birth to ensure a place.

Parents desperate to secure their child’s place in some of Brisbane’s most exclusive and in-demand private schools are making applications five years in advance, sometimes for newborns.

Some elite schools have urged parents to enrol “as soon as possible”, others have encouraged parents to enrol years in advance while one school is being eyed off internationally.

Places at one Catholic high school are at such a premium more than 50 applications had to be declined.

At the prestigious Anglican Church Grammar School parents are advised to make an enrolment application at least “three to five years” in advance.

Churchie principal Dr Alan Campbell said future enrolments were strong for the East Brisbane school – which charges $24,784 for secondary students.

Churchie headmaster Dr Alan Campbell encouraged enrolments up to five years in advance.

“One trend we have observed in recent years is parents exploring the value of an independent school education from the early years, with strong interest in our pre-Year 1 and Year 3 entries,” he said.

Dr Campbell advised hopeful parents to visit the school and speak to staff, heads, current parents and students to understand Churchie’s culture.

“Parents with children as young as newborn babies are welcome, and even grandparents take active roles in school research, reflecting the importance families place on school choice,” Dr Campbell said.

“The school contacts parents for updated information and interviews regarding offers up to three years out from commencement.”

At Marist College Ashgrove, bookings for 2024 are full and more than 50 applications have been declined, principal Michael Newman confirmed.

Mr Newman said Marist, which has a cohort of about 1600 students, was oversubscribed and every year level had a wait list.

“We are very full and we have just finished acceptances for 2024 and unfortunately have had to decline more than 50 applications,” Mr Newman said.

“Any student who wishes to enrol at Marist needs to enrol as soon as possible as there is a waiting list for each incoming year level. All years are full with waiting lists.

“From 24 onwards, our main intake of enrolments is in Year 5. A number of places will be kept for boarding students in Year 7.”

Marist College Ashgrove. Picture: David Clark

Mr Newman said assured parents whose children were offered a place at Marist that would be accepted after the enrolment acceptable fee was paid.

The Catholic boys’ high school is set to open a new primary years building in 2024, allowing it to take in an extra 100-odd students.

Demand for future enrolments at both Brisbane Grammar and Brisbane Girls Grammar school remained “strong”, on the back of a surge in numbers throughout 2021.

Anglican Church Grammar School students. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Enrolments have also spiked at the Islamic College of Brisbane which now has a waiting list for the first time in its near 30-year history.

College chief executive Ali Kadri said its student body had increased to 1488 in 2022 and had a waiting list of 155 for the 140 spots available next year.

Mr Kadri said the college was sitting at more than 90 per cent capacity and was on the radar of parents hoping to move to Brisbane from overseas.

“It’s pretty amazing considering the school opened in 1995, and in 2013 – we had 977 students. So there’s been a 50 per cent increase in student numbers in the past decade,” Mr Kadri said.

“We’re even finding in some instances, families – predominantly in the subcontinent – doing their research about registering their children at the college before they relocate to Australia.

“This can mean liaising with our college while overseas, and once they’ve secured their visas, we formally set about enrolling them when they arrive.”

According to enrolment data from Independent Schools Queensland, the state welcomed more than 138,000 new and returning students in 2022, up by 14,000 since 2019.