Victorian schools’ teacher-student ratio revealed

The most crowded and well-resourced classrooms around Victoria have been revealed, with more than 1100 schools stuck with worse student-staff ratios than the national average. See how your school rates.

At Beaumaris Secondary College, having a smaller student-to-staff ratio means childrens’ needs and passions can be the school’s top priority. Picture: Nicki Connolly

More than 1100 Victorian schools – most of them run by the state – have worse student-staff ratios than the national average, new data shows.

Victoria’s 2200 government and private schools range from three students per staff to 24 students per staff, the Herald Sun can reveal.

The school with the lowest student staff ratio is Merrijig Primary in the state’s picturesque high country, which in 2023 had 18 students and five full-time-equivalent staff. This equates to three students per staff member.

Acting principal Kylie McCormack said the school was “fabulous and lucky”.

“We are very inclusive and the staff know the students all very well. It’s lovely and sometimes all the kids in the school play together,” she said.

Other micro schools with fewer than 100 enrolments – most of which are in inner regional areas such as Werrimull, Undera, Lavers Hill, Narracan and Merrigum – all have the highest number of staff per students.

In comparison, the most crowded classrooms are at Mother Teresa School, a Catholic primary school in Craigieburn, which has 17 staff for 431 students.

Other schools with high student-staff ratios include Cheder Levi Yitzchok, a Jewish primary school in St Kilda, which has an average of 23 students per teacher.

Another is Lighthouse Christian College in Cranbourne which has 22 students per teacher – a total of 1018 students and 44 teachers.

Nationally, the size of classrooms has been shrinking in recent years, dropping in 2023 from 12.6 students for every teacher, down from 13.3 in 2021.

Beaumaris Secondary College teachers Chris Aldi and Chelsea Salahoras, with students Louis Nicholson, Katie Gorvett-Page, Riley Taylor, Izzy Daly, Liv Hall and Adam Abu-Karima. Picture: Nicki Connolly

At Beaumaris Secondary College, having a smaller student to staff ratio means childrens’ needs and passions can be the school’s top priority.

The southeastern suburbs high school has a ratio of 11.6 students per teacher, which principal Debby Chaves says enables the college to provide quality education to its 935 pupils.

“We’re able to meet students at their point of need and are able to develop their passion because we have a breadth of professional expertise and teachers who allow that to happen,” she said.

Ms Chaves has worked hard to make Beaumaris Secondary College an attractive school to teach at, with 112 staff currently employed at the school.

“You allocate your resources to support students and that’s what we’ve done,” she said.

The 2023 data, sourced from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, omits schools with less than 15 students.