By Alex Crowe
Almost 20 Victorian schools have more than doubled in size over the past five years as the state’s surging population growth and online education sector fuel an enrolment boom.
At McKinnon Secondary College in the city’s south-east, where enrolments increased by 30 per cent between 2019 and 2024 to just over 2870, principal Michael Kan has had to hire 70 new employees in just two years to keep pace with the growth.
McKinnon Secondary College principal Michael Kan, school captains Amelie and Jake and assistant principal Kellie Felmingham.Credit: Penny Stephens
“That’s a lot,” Kan said. “I have more people starting in my school than many schools would have in their entire staff. So it’s pretty crazy.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity because there are so many great young teachers coming through, and it’s a great time to refresh.”
Kan said the school had met the challenge of managing rapid enrolment growth while maintaining its status as one of the top academic performers in the government sector.
He credited his colleagues – there are now assistant deputy principals at McKinnon – a strong culture of excellence among the staff and a new $70 million campus for the school’s ability to survive and thrive as families flock into its tightly controlled entry zone.
“In the past two years, we’ve seen increased achievement, being the top non-select-entry school in the state in terms of our VCE results,” he said.
“We had last year over 500 year 9s. They were the highest growth in the southern region. So scale is not upsetting our culture of success, and that’s really pleasing to me.”
Victoria’s fastest-growing schools are those starting from scratch. Preston High had just 126 students when it opened on the site of the old Preston Girls’ Secondary College in 2019. By last year, it had more than 1130.
Dohertys Creek P-9 College in Truganina, a public school in Melbourne’s outer west, grew from 273 primary students when it opened in 2019 to almost 1700 students last year after accepting year 9s.
Edgars Creek Secondary College in Wollert, in Melbourne’s outer north, is another high-growth school, increasing from 239 students in 2019 to 1304 this year.
Springside West Secondary College in Fraser Rise, a new suburb north of Caroline Springs, grew from 426 to 1612 students over the same period.
Preston High principal Sean Butler said infill development and population growth in surrounding areas had increased demand for public schools in Melbourne’s north.
Butler previously told The Age he had expected 60 students to enrol in the school’s first year, in 2019, but 178 applied. In its second year, it received 300 applications for 125 spots.
Preston High School principal Sean Butler with year 12 student Holly Riordan. Preston High had about 300 students when Holly was in year 7. Last year it had 1131.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
He said Preston High was fortunate to have quickly gained the confidence of the community.
“We’re also really lucky that in the north of Melbourne, there are a lot of good, high-quality public schools that people want to send their children to.
“All the schools in our Darebin and Yarra area are thriving ... it creates pressure, but it’s not a bad pressure.”
During its rapid expansion, Preston High has maintained strong academic results – it received standout NAPLAN results in 2023 and a Victorian Education Excellence Award for Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students.
Haileybury College remains Victoria’s largest private school, with more than 4840 students enrolled across its four Melbourne campuses and online school, Haileybury Pangea, in 2024.
The school recently received approval to scrap a cap on senior enrolments and build a $50 million creative arts centre at its Brighton campus. It reported revenue of more than $186 million in the past financial year, including almost $39 million in government funding.
Student fees range from $22,520 for pre-prep to $39,985 for years 9 to 12, contributing to the more than $135 million the school received from fees, charges and parent contributions in 2023.
Full-time Pangea students pay $20,035 to study online.
Principal Derek Scott said demand for places at Haileybury’s campuses was outstripping supply.
Scott partly attributed recent enrolment growth to the opening of Haileybury’s 10-storey city campus in 2017, which – with 800 students – is now full.
“The other part is that the online school, Pangea, is thriving … that will be where the next phase of our growth will come from,” he said.
Haileybury has applied to enrol Queensland students at Pangea, in addition to its Victorian and Northern Territory students, and has plans to expand further.
Meanwhile, the growth of Virtual Schools Victoria – the state’s largest school by enrolment – appears to have hit a plateau.
Full-time enrolments at the government-run online school fell by 3 per cent from 2023 to 2024, though it still counted 5942 full and part-time students last year.
Bacchus Marsh Grammar enrolled 3554 students in 2024, having doubled its enrolment over the past decade. Annual fees range from $7307 to $14,709.
Caulfield Grammar (3429 students), Sirius College (3283), and Wesley College (3207) also rank among Victoria’s largest private schools. Over the past 10 years, Sirius grew by 48 per cent, Caulfield by 12 per cent and Wesley by 11 per cent.
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