Fastest growing schools in Victoria revealed

Schools in Tarneit, Point Cook are experiencing a massive boom in student population but it’s the success of one school in a sleepy town that has taken out the title of the fastest-growing campus in Victoria. SEE HOW YOUR SCHOOL COMPARES.

Sleepy towns and outer metro regions have been reinvigorated by booming student populations as new schools and some old thrive.

Bellarine Peninsula has snatched the title for fastest growing campus in the state over the past five years.

Queenscliff Primary grew 883 per cent, from just six pupils in 2013 to 59 last year.

And the boom is set to continue, with more than 100 students enrolled this year, and 120 for next year, principal Richard Buckingham said.

“We had unwavering belief that we could change the trajectory of the school and beat the odds with the numbers,” he said.

“I’ve been able to recruit outstanding teachers and build upon their capacity through lots of initiatives the department is running.”

The growth was particularly impressive given the elderly demographic of the beach town, and the high number of holiday homes.

Schools in other small towns also saw huge growth, including Taradale Primary, from seven children to almost 70 in five years, and Gippsland’s Ripplebrook Primary, from 14 pupils to 60.

But it was new schools in Melbourne’s outer suburbs that faced the biggest student boost, an analysis of Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority data showed.

Tarneit P-9 College opened six years ago with 200 students — now it has more than 2000.

Acting principal Mark Zahra said the school was in a growth corridor: “Every week there’s a new estate”.

“Just across the road, the paddocks are being built into housing estates,” he said.

And while all schools have capacity limits, Mr Zahra said the campus was obligated to take in any child that lived in the zone.

Tarneit P-9 has among the greatest school growth in the state adding 400% more students in five years Picture: Jay Town

“Theoretically there’s no capacity, we have to take in who lives in the area,” he said.

The school has 38 portable classrooms — one a double storey — and two timetables with staggered recess and lunch times between junior and senior students.

Mr Zahra admitted it was “a challenge” to remember all 2050 students’ names, with even more expected when Grade 6 children graduate from Tarneit Rise Primary down the road, which has 900 pupils.

“But we say to our families, ‘We have five assistant principals — someone will know your child’,” he said.

The school has become a community hub for the growing area, as many facilities and services are still yet to come after a quick housing and population boom.

Between 2013 and 2018 enrolment at Queenscliff Primary School increased by 883.3 per cent, faster than any other school in the region. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

“It’s open late, kids hang out and play basketball, community groups come in and play sports,” Mr Zahra said.

“It a really dynamic place — it’s exciting, it’s new, it’s a happy place.”

Nearby Alamanda K-9 College, in Point Cook, had a similar boom from 400 kids to more than 2400 in five years.

Education Minister James Merlino said Victoria was “the fastest growing state in the country — that’s why we are opening 100 new schools over eight years in high growth areas”.

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“There are 400 upgrade projects underway across the state and we are rolling out new state-of-the-art relocatable classrooms so schools have enough classroom space for Victoria’s population growth,” he said.

Growth in regional cities, including Geelong, and revitalised city suburbs, such as Docklands, is being closely watched by the government.

Reviews for new schools in Victoria are done each year by looking at residential growth, demographic change and enrolment trends.

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