By Christopher Harris and Craig Butt
High-achieving schools with good reputations are leading some Sydney suburbs to defy typical local area enrolment trends across public, private and Catholic schools.
While a Sun-Herald analysis of census data found private school enrolment was highest in suburbs with high household incomes, such as Dover Heights and Bellevue Hill, pockets of parents in the city’s west are also opting for a non-government education.
In Mulgoa, near Penrith, a higher proportion of students attend a private primary school than in Mosman, one of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs. In 2021, when the last census was carried out, about 31 per cent of high school students in Mulgoa attended a Catholic school and 49.4 per cent went private.
After moving to Mulgoa, Melinda heard about Nepean Christian School, and following a tour of the school, decided to send her three children, Orlando, 11, Lara, 13 and Ivy-Rose, 14, there.
(From left) Ivy-Rose, Melinda, Alan, Orlando and Lara.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
“Honestly, I feel like we are treated like family. We got taken around by the principal … I thought it was amazing, they spoke to my child and I didn’t really have to say anything in the interview,” she said.
“I like the fact they have rules, there is a lot of different support in place … there is no way we would move now.”
Principal Cameron Nunn said parents wanted the “whole package” of shared values in a small tight-knit community, with often between 60 and 70 people on the waiting list for high-school entry.
“We’re largely immune from violence, drugs or vaping. It’s so foreign to our culture that kids report concerns very quickly to their pastoral care teacher,” he said.
Camara Brand lives in the south-west Sydney suburb of Glen Alpine, where 75.7 per cent of high-school aged children go to non-government schools. The family chose Broughton Anglican College in Menangle Park for their four children because they wanted them to have a religious education.
“To be honest, when I first came to the school, I was surprised to find we were in the minority as Christians. But while a lot of people aren’t Christian, they appreciate the Christian values,” Brand said.
She said the family “budget like crazy” to send their children to the school, which charges $11,000 for year 12. However, she said it was easy to see the value.
“We see the way our kids have flourished and thrived, and that’s something we want to prioritise because they have excelled in their academics and in other areas … that’s not to say they would not flourish in a public school. For us, being Christians, we wanted to have that as part of our children’s schooling.”
Broughton Anglican College principal Tim Hewitt said when prospective parents took tours of the school grounds, their questions often centred on sport, art and music opportunities, as well as classroom support.
Those parents might have been graduates of public education, Hewitt says, but they feel like the college could be a good fit for their child.
“[Parents say,] ‘Look, I didn’t attend a private school myself. I want the best for my children. I see the things that you’re offering, and I’m excited by that,’ ” he said.
“We want to provide students with the opportunity to develop, dare I say, those more traditional values of diligence and hard work and integrity.”
The highest share of high school students enrolled in Catholic schools is in Sydney’s south-east, with more than 50 per cent of students from Pagewood, Botany, Little Bay and Chifley attending one.
Marcellin Catholic College Randwick principal Mark Woolford said boys from those suburbs came to his school.
“Part of the appeal to parents are the rituals of our Catholic faith. We have masses, we have prayer – parents very much value those,” he said.
The school, which charges $6215 for year 12, punches above its weight with strong HSC results, which parents saw as “a pathway to the future” because “getting good results gets more options”.
“You can have all the values and traditions that you like, but if you’re not offering a good education and good results, they won’t come,” Woolford said.
Buoyed by the popular Cherrybrook Technology High School, 78 per cent of secondary students in the Hills District suburb of Cherrybrook attend a government school, compared with 58 per cent and 55 per cent in neighbouring Castle Hill and Pennant Hills, respectively.
The high-performing school counts maths teaching whiz Eddie Woo among its staff.
Principal Matt Townsend said real estate agents used a home’s location with its catchment as a selling point and said he knocked back a “large” number of out-of-area applications every year.
“I would say it’s all about that culture of high expectations,” he said.
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