Victorian education power rankings: The leaders who shape our students, schools and universities

We’ve ranked the 20 most influential education figures in Victoria, from prominent principals to policy heavyweights and uni visionaries. See who tops the list.

Victoria started 2025 reeling from the fallout of the VCE cheat sheet scandal, which saw the exam authority leak questions from its own exams, then try and cover it up.

The fiasco led to the CEO resigning, with Education Minister Ben Carroll stepping in to order a “root and branch” review as stressed students waited for their uni offers.

The review, conducted by Dr Yehudi Blacher, reported a culture of blame, fear and secrecy at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The impact is still being felt, with many long-serving staff leaving and senior roles turning over – and Mr Carroll’s decisive response cements his spot at number 1 on our list of the most influential education figures in our state.

The year’s other shocking education scandal unfolded in July, when police advised of the arrest of Joshua Brown, a Melbourne childcare worker who was facing more than 70 charges relating to the abuse of children and babies in his care.

As more than 1000 parents took their children to get tested for sexually-transmitted diseases, the case sent shockwaves through the sector. Parents and staff are now waiting to see action from Mr Carroll, backed up by his new counterpart, Liberal Evan Mulholland.

It hasn’t been a great year for the university sector, with revelations about black market cheating, underpayment of staff, financial pressures due to student caps and one in three students dropping out – but vice-chancellors like Emma Johnston and Sharon Pickering wield enormous influence with a salary package to match.

Meanwhile, the state government battled to dampen teacher expectations of a pay rise, battled rising rates of violence on campuses and struggled to fill teaching jobs.

In the independent sector, three Victorian schools were ranked among the best 20 nationally in the inaugural Top 100 Private Schools list – including Haileybury, ranked second in the nation and top of the list in Victoria. That earns its principal Derek Scott a spot in the top 5.

On a broader stage, it’s impossible to look past reforming juggernaut and federal Education Minister Jason Clare for top spot on our national power list.

Originally published as Victorian education power rankings: The leaders who shape our students, schools and universities