Fasting growing west Melbourne schools revealed

The fastest-growing school in Melbourne’s west increased by a massive 471.7 per cent over five years, with its principal saying the school has had to “think outside the box” to accommodate the huge number of students. How fast is your school growing?

Alamanda K-9 College has increased by 471.7 per cent between 2013 and 2018. Picture: Google

Western Melbourne’s fastest-growing schools have been revealed.

An analysis of federal government data has revealed the Western Melbourne region schools where student numbers have risen the most in the past five years.

Enrolment at Alamanda K-9 College — which also has one of the highest student-teacher ratios — has increased by 471.7 per cent between 2013 and 2018, faster than any other school in the region.

Principal Lynette Jobson last year said the school had to “think outside the box” to accommodate the huge number of students.

“The reality is that if you are a principal in a growth corridor school you are serving your community,” Ms Jobson said.

“You can’t afford to have it overwhelm you or defeat you.”

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority figures are the most up to date enrolment numbers that include all state and private schools nationally.

According to the latest public data that includes public and private schools, student numbers have grown from 421 to 2408, the fastest growth in the region.

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The second fastest growing school was Tarneit P-9 College, where the student body increased by 413.0 between 2013 and 2018. Enrolment numbers grew from 393 in 2013 to 2017 in 2018.

Over those five years Tarneit Senior College had the third biggest enrolment boom in the area 352 more students at the school in 2018 than in 2013 — a 183.7 per cent increase.