Rural students flocking back to boarding schools: ABSA Census 2022

The Australian Boarding Schools Association 2022 census reveals the highest intake of Year 7 students in five years - and the vast majority come from rural areas. Local boarders share their stories. 

Students are flocking back to boarding schools in 2022 according to a new report.

The Australian Boarding Schools’ Association (ABSA) 2022 census reveals there’s been a nearly 25 per cent increase in the number of boarding students in Year 7 this year - from 1925 students in 2021 to 2390 students in 2022.

It’s the highest number of enrolments in five years - with 2036 Year 7 students in 2018; 2214 in 2019 and 2101 in 2020.

Australian Boarding Schools’ Association CEO Richard Stokes said a number of factors had contributed to the rise in students from regional areas like Wagga being sent to boarding schools in cities including Melbourne or Sydney.

“The reason why we are seeing an increase in kids going to boarding schools is because of the opportunities that are on offer at these schools in terms of choice of subjects, especially at the back end of their schooling,” he said.

“Parents see the value in sending their children to boarding schools - you know Wagga to Melbourne it is not that far and parents see it as a long-term investment and it also provides a safe and stable environment for the students.”

Mr Stokes said boarding schools helped instil discipline and routine in young people, which was vital for high school students.

The 2022 census revealed there were 201 boarding schools, which were members of ABSA, across Australia in 2022 - up from 178 in 2017.

More than 15,500 students at those boarding schools came from rural areas in 2022; 3770 were indigenous students and 1071 were international students.

The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is clear, with 2359 international students at Australian boarding schools in 2019 before the pandemic hit.

Thirteen-year-old Caitlin Nixon from the Riverina town of Oaklands is among the new cohort of Year 7 boarders at Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC).

She’s getting used to the change of pace from her family’s sheep farm to the boarding house in Melbourne’s inner northern suburb of Kew.

“At first I was missing home a lot, although it was easier to settle in with my older sister already boarding here. I still get homesick sometimes, but I love boarding and meeting so many new friends,” she said.

“My primary school was really small – there were only 40 kids. I was worried that I would struggle to make friends in a big school because when it’s smaller, you have to meet everyone.”

“Our school provides a spread of learning, co-curricular and wellbeing opportunities to match my interests which is great because it is really important to my education,” she said.

“I find when you are boarding, it’s really easy to make friends. We all have roommates, and we do fun stuff like movie nights and ‘family’ dinner.”

Caitlin Nixon and Mabel Golland. Picture: Supplied

Fellow Year 7 student Mabel Golland, 13, is also a first time boarding student at MLC. The Wagga girl is the first among her siblings to attend boarding school.

“Initially, my mum didn’t want me to go boarding school. I think she was hesitant because she didn’t know what to expect – I’m the oldest of my siblings, so there was nothing to compare it to,” she said.

“When I went on the tour at MLC, I was convinced by how amazing the school was in terms of educational support and what was on offer.”

A member of the science club PRISM, which stands for People Really Into Science at MLC, Mabel said she has been able to meet like-minded students across all ages.

“The science club meets a few times a week and we do lots of fun experiments,” she said.

“I’ve gotten to meet a lot of the older girls through PRISM and through boarding at Tiddeman House.

“There’s so many different clubs and co-curricular activities, you’re bound to find other people that have similar interests.”

Methodist Ladies College, Melbourne. Picture: Supplied