New data reveals best and worst schools for class sizes in Australia

New data has revealed the best and worst schools in Australia for student to teacher ratios. See how your school compares.

Editor’s Note:A previous version of this article incorrectly listed Rissalah College Lakemba as among the Top 3 worst schools for student-teacher ratios. Rissalah’s student to teacher ratio in its secondary school is 11.64, not 20.28.

New data has revealed the best and worst schools for student to teacher ratios across Australia and the results have prompted a call for greater funding.

Figures from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority showed that the average student to teaching staff ratio in 2023 was 13.1 students per teacher – the same as in 2022 and a reduction from 13.3 students per teachers in 2021. 

The average student to teaching staff ratio was lower in independent schools with 11.8 students per teacher, compared to Catholic and government schools which saw an average of 13.4 students per teacher.

Student to teacher ratios were consistently lower for secondary education than for primary education in all school sectors, with an average of 11.8 students per teacher at the secondary level, compared with 14.3 students per teacher at the primary level.

The best and worst schools in Australia for classroom sizes

Here is a breakdown the average classroom size in Australia by state, including the lowest performing primary and secondary schools, with links to our interactive map to show you how things stand in your school.

NEW SOUTH WALES SCHOOLS

See how your school ranked here. Picture: Supplied.

SEE FULL LIST OF NSW SCHOOLS HERE

Catholic schools in NSW have the highest student-teacher ratios with an average of almost 15:1, compared to 14:1 across government schools and 12:1 for the independent sector. The NSW schools with the best student to teacher ratios are government-run schools of distance education and ‘special’ schools – both state and independently operated – for students with special needs, such as Carenne School and Aspect branches.

Three in five of the 50 highest-ratio schools are Catholic schools, alongside 15 government schools scattered among booming suburbs like The Ponds, popular northern Sydney localities, and the suburbs of Newcastle.

At the top of the list is Santa Sophia Catholic College Primary, due to a quirk of ACARA’s reporting systems splitting teachers inaccurately between the school’s K-4 primary and 5-12 secondary campuses.

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NSW FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Santa Sophia Catholic College (Primary), Gables
2. St John’s Catholic Primary School, Dubbo
3. Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School, Eagle Vale

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NSW FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Al-Faisal College, Liverpool, Austral
2. Al-Faisal College, Campbelltown, Minto

QUEENSLAND SCHOOLS

See how your school ranked here. Picture: Supplied.

SEE FULL LIST OF QLD SCHOOLS HERE

The two schools with the worst student-teacher ratios are in Bundaberg but the remainder of the bottom 15 are predominantly in the South East, including Ipswich and the Gold Coast.

Queensland Pathways State College in Brisbane recorded the best student-teacher ratio with 6.1, and the rest of the top 10 schools all had ratios of less than eight students per teacher. The Department of Education pointed out that every school in the state passed the benchmark.

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN QLD FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Kalamia State School, Brandon
2. Pinnacle Academic College, Kallangur
3. St John’s Lutheran Primary School, Bundaberg

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN QLD FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Australian Trade College North Brisbane, Scarborough
2. Australian Industry Trade College, Robina
3. Australian Industry Trade College, Ipswich, North Ipswich

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS

See how your school ranked here. Picture: Supplied.

SEE FULL LIST OF SA SCHOOLS HERE

The 10 lowest performing schools for student-teacher ratios in South Australia were located in regional areas. Marree Aboriginal School, which has just 18 students enrolled, had the lowest ratio at 2.8.

Across the state the average ratio for small schools was 13.3 students per teacher, 15.6 for medium sized campuses and 13.6 for large schools.

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SA FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Grange Primary School, Grange
2. McLaren Vale Primary School, McLaren Vale
3. Greenwith Primary School, Greenwith

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SA FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Mount Torrens Christian School,
2. St Joseph’s School, Peterborough
3. Karcultaby Area School, Karcultaby

VICTORIAN SCHOOLS

See how your school ranked here. Picture: Supplied.

SEE FULL LIST OF VIC SCHOOLS HERE

The new data revealed more than 1100 Victorian schools had worse student-staff ratios then the national average. Victoria’s 2200 government and private schools range from three students per staff to 24 students per staff. The school with the lowest student staff ratio is Merrijig Primary in the state’s high country, which in 2023 had 18 students and five full-time-equivalent staff – that equals to three students per staff member.

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN VIC FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Mother Teresa School, Craigieburn
2. Wunghnu Primary School, Wunghnu
3. Cheder Levi Yitzchok Inc, South Yarra

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN VIC FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Cheder Levi Yitzchok Inc, South Yarra
2. Lighthouse Christian College Cranbourne, Cranbourne
3. Ozford College, Melbourne

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN TAS FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Devonport
2. Sacred Heart Catholic School, Launceston
3. Stella Maris Catholic School, Burnie

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TAS FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Taroona High School, Taroona
2. Hobart College, Mount Nelson
3. Launceston College, Launceston

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN WA FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Star of the Sea Primary School Rockingham
2. St Paul’s Primary School, Mount Lawley
3. St Lawrence Primary School, Balcatta

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN WA FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Salvado Catholic College, Byford
2. Mother Teresa Catholic College, College Baldivis
3. St John Bosco College, Piara Waters

NORTHERN TERRITORY SCHOOLS

WORST PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NT FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Ampliatwatja School, Ampilatwatja
2. Ludmilla Primary School, Ludmilla
3. Papunya School, Papunya

WORST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NT FOR TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS

1. Ampliatwatja School, Ampilatwatja
2. Papunya School, Papunya
3. Gawa Christian School, Galiwinku