RICH V POOR: How the incomes for Mackay’s schools compare

A Mackay state school has been named the richest, raking in almost $60 million over three years. View the interactive to see where each school sits.

MACKAY and Whitsunday's richest school rakes in more than $59.3 million in three years and parents wanting to send their kids to the region's most expensive school have to fork out $8369, tightly held school statistics reveal.

An independent analysis of school financial records from the MySchool website have shown the massive amount of money some schools make every year, and how little some schools are forced to scrape by on.

The figures revealed Mackay North State High School in North Mackay had a higher gross income than any other school in the Mackay and Whitsunday region.

The school made a gross income of $59.3 million, according to financial records from the three most recently available years.

The region's second richest school was Mackay State High School, in Milton Street, which had a gross income of $45.4 million.

The school with the third highest gross income was Mercy College, in South Mackay, which made $44.1 million.

Principal of Mackay State High School Stephen Paulger said his school spent most of its funding on facilities, management and its large agricultural centre.

"There are maintenance costs involved in running such a large school and we have costs that the government has funded, such as installing solar panels," he said.

"That project will be huge for the school."

More than 1100 students attend Mackay State High School and Mr Paulger said most funding was allocated based on how many students and staff were at the school. He said the amount of funding received each year was "pretty standard".

Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert said state government funding was given to schools using a specific formula. She said about 80 per cent of State funding went to public schools while 80 per cent of Federal funding went to private schools. The formula is different for high schools compared to primary schools.

"The formula we use looks at the number of students and staff at a school," she said.

"Mackay North State High School is one of the largest schools in the region so it does receive a lot of funding."

Mrs Gilbert said the age of a school also had an impact on how much funding it received.

Both North Mackay State High School and Mackay State High School are ageing facilities that have required upgrades over the past three years.

The MySchool figures include all fees, charges and parental contributions as well as State and Federal government funding and any other private sources over the 2015, 2016 and 2017 years.

It does not include any deductions for capital works or debt servicing. The analysis does not include special schools or schools that did not have complete financial data in MySchool for one or more of 2015, 2016 or 2017.

Hayman Island State School had the lowest gross income of any school in the Mackay and Whitsunday region. It made just $977,527 over the three-year period.

The region's most expensive school was Whitsunday Anglican School in Beaconsfield where the average amount parents had to fork out in fees, charges and contributions in 2017 was $8369.

St Patrick's College, in Mackay, had the Mackay and Whitsunday region's second highest average parental contributions with $4355.

The school with the third highest parental contributions was Holy Spirit College, where the average contribution was $3823.

 

Region's richest schools

Mackay North State High School: $59.3 million

Mackay State High School: $45.4 million

Mercy College: $44.1 million

Holy Spirit College: $43.4 million

Proserpine State High School: $42.8 million

Whitsunday Anglican School: $40.2 million

Mirani State High School: $35 million

Mackay Christian College: $33.8 million

Eimeo Road State School: $33 million

St Catherine's Catholic College The Whitsundays: $33 million

 

Region's poorest schools

Hayman Island State School: $977,527

Oakenden State School: $1.1 million

North Eton State School: $1.2 million

St Lawrence State School: $1.2 million

Pinnacle State School: $1.3 million

Valkyrie State School: $1.4 million

Pindi Pindi State School: $1.4 million

Gargett State School: $1.4 million

Coppabella State School: $1.5 million

Farleigh State School: $1.6 million

 

Region's schools that cost parents the most

Whitsunday Anglican School: $8369

St Patrick's College: $4355

Holy Spirit College: $3823

Whitsunday Christian College: $3120

Mercy College: $3075

Mackay Christian College: $2849

Carlisle Adventist Christian College: $2342

St Catherine's Catholic College The Whitsundays: $2288

St Brendan's Catholic Primary School: $1855

MacKillop Catholic Primary School: $1833

Originally published as