Full list: How many students are at every NSW public school, as Riverbank Public, Cherrybrook Tech, The Ponds, Castle Hill High exceed 2000 students
A massive 100 schools across NSW have more than 1000 students enrolled, as a single community in Sydney’s north sees four schools exceeding 2000 students. See how your school ranks here.
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A primary school in Sydney’s booming Hills District has taken out the title of the state’s biggest public mega-school, with enrolment figures skyrocketing past 2100 students.
Riverbank Public School, in Sydney’s northwest, has reported a massive 2173 children enrolled at the local primary school in The Ponds for the 2024 school year.
The shock new enrolment figures makes it one of four government schools – all located in the Hills District – to exceed 2000 students, according to the latest NSW Education Department student data released this week.
The statistics for all NSW government schools also revealed nearby Cherrybrook Technology High School student numbers have reached 2090, while The Ponds High School has recorded 2056 students for 2024.
At Castle Hill High School, student enrolment figures recorded 2025 kids attended the school in Term 1.
The Education Department statistics revealed 102 schools across the state had more than 1000 students enrolled, predominantly made up by schools in Greater Sydney’s booming north and south housing growth precinct including Chatswood High, Carlingford High, Westfields Sports High and Oran Park Public.
Despite the growing number of students enrolling at super-sized schools, like Riverbank Public, parents told the Saturday Telegraph newly-built schools and flexible funding for additional teachers meant that kids “weren’t packed in classrooms like sardines”.
The Ponds mother-of-four, Haley Kim, said she had high praise for the teaching staff at Riverbank Public School, where all of her children have attended.
“I’ve found it to be a really good school,” Ms Kim said. “The teachers are lovely and I think the kids are really well supported.
“I never had any concerns with how big the school is.”
Ms Kim, 42, said she “never” had any concerns with the size of Riverbank when she was looking at schools for her eldest daughters.
And her confidence remains now as she picks up her youngest girls Alice, 6, and Chloe, 8 from the bustling school.
She added that despite the size of the school, or any concerns about children learning in demountables, she found the teacher-to-student ratio was the “same” as her eldest experienced at a “smaller school”.
While fellow mum, Michelle Moore, said class sizes was not an issue for her.
“It’s the same teacher-student ratios as other schools,” Ms Moore said.
But other parents, like father-of-two Tushar Jaigar, described the school as “completely overcrowded”.
“There are way too many students enrolled at this school for its size,” Mr Jaigar said.
“Our children are forced to learn in demountables, we have gridlock piling up un streets surrounding the school everyday and there is concern about the amount of face-to-face time for students and their teachers.”
Mr Jaigar raised concern with the large portion of the student population enrolled from “out-of-area”.
A NSW Education Department spokesman said school were “staffed based on student numbers”, while out-of-area enrolments were being restricted as a result of booming residential growth precincts.
“Schools with large numbers of students have a higher number of teachers,” he said. ‘
“Riverbank Public School, and The Ponds, Castle Hill and Cherrybrook Technology high schools have normal class sizes that are within agreed ranges for all NSW public schools.”
Principals and teachers as massive schools across the state are modifying school day structure to ensure students have access to classrooms and play spaces.
New, temporary and major school upgrades are being rolled out in housing growth precincts, including The Hills, with an audit of “intake area boundary adjustments”.
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