Full list: ACT Schools with the best, worst teacher to student ratios

The most crowded schools with the worst – and the best – student to teacher ratio across Canberra and the ACT have been revealed. See how your school stacks up.

Black Mountain School in Canberra, ACT.

The schools in Canberra with the most crowded classrooms have been revealed.

The report that was published by the ACT Government on July 2 this year provides an analysis of national data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority where teachers have the most students in their classes.

The average student-to-teacher ratio sits at 12 students to one teacher — aligning with ACT Government workforce planning models.

However, ACT public schools are funded and staffed based on a planning ratio of 13 students per full-time equivalent (FTE) teacher.

While this average is used for system-wide staffing projections, actual ratios differ between schools.

Woden School in Canberra, ACT

Smaller or specialist schools may report ratios below 10 students while larger primary and high schools, particularly in growing regions such as Gungahlin, Molonglo Valley, and parts of Tuggeranong, often exceed 14 students.

Government data visualisations show that several schools — including Arawang Primary School, Dickson College, and Garran Primary School — are currently operating far over their stated capacity.

Arawang Primary School has 29 full-time equivalent teaching staff and 462 students, giving it a student-to-teacher ratio of 15 students to each teacher.

Second on the roll call for highest student-to-teacher ratios is Dickson College, where 57 teachers oversee 915 students — a ratio of 16.

But when it comes to crowding, Garran Primary School sits at the top of the class.

With 38 staff and 642 students, it has a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.5— the highest in the territory.

Meanwhile, the Canberra region’s least crowded classrooms were Woden School and Black Mountain School where there was an average of three students for every teacher at the school.

Across the region as of February 2025, there were 83,259 students enrolled across all schools in the ACT — an increase of 605 students (0.7 per cent) from February 2024.

Of these, 60.2 per cent were enrolled in public schools, 20.4 per cent in independent schools, and 19. per cent in Catholic systemic schools.

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd sits with students at Garran Primary School in Canberra.

Geographically, enrolment growth has been strongest in North Canberra and Gungahlin, with a 31.1 per cent rise in primary school enrolments and a 30.9 per cent rise in high school enrolments.

South Canberra has the highest share of college students, accounting for 29.7 per cent of enrolments at that level.

To accommodate enrolment changes, the ACT Education Directorate has implemented measures including modular classrooms and staged expansions including planning for new schools in high-growth suburbs is underway.

The ACT Class Size Policy provides guidance on maximum class sizes — 21 students from Kindergarten to Year 3, 26 for Years 4 to 6, and broader recommendations for secondary years.

The ACT continues to maintain one of the lowest average student-to-teacher ratios nationally.

Originally published as Full list: ACT Schools with the best, worst teacher to student ratios